Govt. to set up one ‘Telugu Pathasala’ in every mandal

‘Telugu will be a compulsory paper from Std. I to X from the next academic year’

Allaying fears that Telugu will be neglected if English is made the medium of instruction in all government schools, Chairman of the A.P. Official Language Commission Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad has said that the government will establish at least one ‘Telugu Pathasala’ in every mandal from the next academic year.

“The proposal has been cleared by the Chief Minister. It has also been decided to provide transport facility to those who intend to study in these schools but face difficulty in reaching them due to long distance,” Dr. Lakshmi Prasad said while addressing the media here on Thursday.

“Telugu language will not be ignored. From the next academic year, every school in the State, irrespective of the syllabus it follows, will have to make Telugu as a compulsory language paper from Std. I to Std. X,” he said.

He pointed out that 97% of the parent committees in over 48,000 schools across the State opted for converting the Telugu medium schools into English medium, he said.

‘Level-playing field’

“Going by the present global trend and keeping in mind the demographic dividend factor, it is necessary that all children, irrespective of their socio-economic background, be taught in the English medium. Only then we can create a level-playing field for all,” he observed.

Dr. Lakshmi Prasad also said that the north coastal districts were leading from the front in the implementation of English medium in schools.

“In the next five years, all schools will become English medium schools, and teachers are being given orientation classes to make them ready for it,” he said.