The State government has resolved to make Telugu compulsory in government and private educational institutions up to X standard from the next academic year.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has instructed the officials to initiate measures for introducing Telugu as a compulsory subject from 2018-19. The Government has decided to enact a legislation to this effect. He held a review meeting with a team of officials who had visited Tamil Nadu to study the implementation of mother tongue Tamil as a compulsory subject in educational institutions there. He discussed the guidelines that should be framed for introduction of Telugu in all schools in the State as part of efforts to save the language and protect the culture.
The Chief Minister observed that it had become a necessity to study in English medium with the changing circumstances and children’s future should not be disturbed. At the same time, the language should also be not neglected and hence, the decision to make Telugu a compulsory subject in English medium schools.
The government had initially contemplated making Telugu compulsory till the Intermediate level. But given the fact that Intermediate course was not uniform in all the institutions, it would be difficult to give effect to the decision at this stage. The government, after studying the mother tongue policy that was being implemented in Punjab and Tamil Nadu, had decided to make Telugu compulsory till Class X for the present, the Chief Minister said.
According to an official release, the Chief Minister asked the Telugu Sahitya Academy and the Telugu University to prepare class-wise syllabus for teaching Telugu. He wanted the officials to take steps to ensure that students were taught about the useful things through mother tongue. In addition to protecting the Telugu language, the course material should comprise content that inculcated patriotism and ethical values among children.
The government was firm on taking positive measures for the future of children who study Telugu as a subject, he said. He wanted the Education department to take steps to ensure that at least one Telugu pundit was appointed in all private schools. Deputy Chief Minister (Education) Kadiyam Srihari, Ministers K.T. Rama Rao, Jupally Krishna Rao and T. Padma Rao, and government’s chief adviser Rajiv Sharma were present.
