The Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to scrap the Telugu Medium in municipal schools has left the stakeholders deeply divided.
On January 2, the state government issued a GO No. 14 for converting all the existing Telugu medium municipal schools into English medium schools. The decision has triggered a widespread debate between different groups.
A source from Department of Language and Culture told The Hindu that they will submit recommendations to AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, on the need to strengthen the Telugu language not only at school-level but in colleges as well.
Several leaders of the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Teachers’ Organisations have also opposed the move, stating that students in municipal schools would be affected as they would find it difficult to keep pace with the new mode while losing touch with Telugu as well.
“The teachers in municipal schools have been teaching in Telugu medium for years. How can they teach science, social studies, mathematics or other subjects in English medium without any training or preparation,” AP United Teachers’ Federation general secretary P Babu Reddy earlier told The Hans India.
The move is likely to affect 2,51,774 students in 2,118 municipal schools across the State.
On the contrary, members of the Municipal Teachers Federation of the state have supported the move saying it will help children in the civic schools to keep abreast of their counterparts in the corporate sector.
“Today every individual, regardless of his social status, wants his/her children to go to English medium school that is the gateway to a prosperous future. The number of children in municipal schools is dwindling because of this reason. Parents from even poor economic background join their wards in municipal schools to help them learn the fundamentals of a subject in the lower classes. After fourth or fifth class, they take them away to private corporate schools,” S Rama Krishna, president of the Federation told the Hindu.
The headmaster of Guntur Municipal Corporation Upper Primary School at Nayi Brahmin Colony, Mr. Rama Krishna has welcomed the move stating this will retain the children in the schools.
Meanwhile, the chief minister has been facing severe criticism for this move not just from the Opposition parties but even from educationists who say that there are no trained government teachers to take up this sudden decision.