Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has decided to go ahead with the conversion of the government, Mandal Praja Parishad (MPP) and Zilla Parishad (ZP) schools into English medium from Classes 1 to 6 in the first phase, instead of up to Class 8 as originally proposed, starting from the academic year 2020-21.
He took the decision at a review meeting with officials of the School Education Department at his camp office on Saturday.
English labs
As per an official release, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy instructed the officials to set up English laboratories in all the schools for imparting English language skills to both teachers and students to better prepare them for the transition.
The Chief Minister asked the officials to establish the labs as a part of the Nadu-Nedu programme (scheduled to be launched on November 14), under which infrastructure would be augmented in all the government schools.
As far as the syllabi was concerned, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the department to follow both CBSE and ICSE curricula.
The government’s decision to make English medium compulsory from Classes 1 to 8, which was notified through G.O. MS. No. 81 on November 5, had kicked up a row with the Opposition protesting it on the ground that it would adversely affect Telugu language and make the learning process in English extremely difficult for the students.
TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu faulted the step, and so did BJP State president Kanna Lakshminarayana, who had asked the Chief Minister to rethink.
