In a step that has raised eyebrows, the Menase Model Government Higher Primary School in Sringeri taluk, Chikkamagaluru district, has become the first public lower primary school to seek permission to start an English medium section.
The application in November last, which has now been forwarded to the State government, has sought the Department of Public Instruction approval to start English medium classes from classes 1 to 5. The school currently has 185 students studying from LKG to class 8. However, currently, the State government does not permit government or aided schools to start English medium lower primary classes.
School headmaster B.R. Gangadharappa, who has been pushing the proposal with department officials, said that his decision to apply for English medium permission for lower primary classes came from the parents demand for it. “Even parents who work as daily wage labourers and come from low economic backgrounds want their child to study in a private school as they impart education in English. If we want to save government schools there is a need to open English medium sections in lower primary classes,” he said.
Despite bringing in changes, the school’s enrolment strength has not been able to match that of three private schools in the vicinity that have close to 600 to 800 children. G.K. Balakrishna, SDMC president of the school, feels that the next step is to ensure that they get permission to open English medium section. “However good our infrastructure and teachers are, all that the parents want is an English medium school. Parents are even ready to take a loan and send their children to private schools as it imparts education in English.”
Uma G. Udupa, a parent whose son studies in class 3 in the school said, “In every field, the knowledge of English has become vital … in this competitive scenario, there is a need to ensure that our children are well versed in English,” she said.
Meanwhile, officials in Education Department said that a political will is required to approve English medium in government schools. “The thought may have crossed heads of other government schools too since there is a demand from parents, but have refrained from sending proposals as there is no provision for it,” an official said.
Although there is a demand among other government upper primary schools to run classes in English, another official said that the issue was “sentimental” as well as “political” as there has been pressure from various Kannada litterateurs and academicians to ensure that Kannada remains the medium of instruction in government and aided schools.
Menase Model Government Higher Primary School is a refreshing change as they have started LKG and UKG classes and have also managed to convince a donor to buy an old mini-bus from the KSRTC to ferry students from the surrounding villages to the school. Besides, the zilla panchayat built an auditorium last year that can accommodate 2,000 people. The school has managed to get computers as part of a private company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. The toilet in the school was displayed on the website of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan as a model toilet.
