Neglect of Telugu schools in other States decried

Delegates at WTC urge KCR to ensure Telugus across the country are able to study in mother tongue

Telugu delegates from other states who attended the World Telugu Conference here have urged the Telangana government to take steps so that Telugu people in other States get to study in their mother tongue.

Following the success of the conference, MPs of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh should ensure that rights of the linguistic minorities guaranteed by the Constitution are upheld. “Telugu MPs must strive for implementation of three language formula in the States where Telugu population is significant,” they said.

Telugu delegates from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and other States, told

The Hindu that they have represented the issue before Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Nizamabad MP K. Kavitha.

A. Radhakrishna Raju, president of Bangalore-based Telugu Vignana Samithi, said under Article 350-A of the Constitution, linguistic minorities should be given opportunity to study in their own language at the primary school level.

There are 580 Telugu medium primary and 55 high schools in Tamil Nadu, but the government there had been insisting that all tenth class students write the exam in Tamil. “We approached the Madras High Court, which issued a stay, and students could write the exam in Telugu.”

In Karnataka, there are 162 government Telugu medium primary schools, 24 private Telugu medium high schools and 18 junior colleges catering to 1.6 crore population of Telugus, Mr. Raju said. But when a Telugu speaking teacher retires, new Telugu teachers are not appointed in those schools. This could pose a threat to the survival of those Telugu schools in the long run.

Simhadri Srinivasa Rao of Odisha said local Telugu associations had set up Telugu schools in the State for the benefit of those living in the border districts. Both Andhra and Odisha governments agreed in 2010 that AP government would supply Telugu text books and provide Telugu teachers to Telugu schools in Odisha and the school managements would bear the salary expenses.

But, due to indifference of govt. departments to supply Telugu text books and teachers, many Telugu schools in border districts of Odisha are on the verge of closure.