The Mathru Bhasha Madhyama Vedika, a consortium of 39 organisations, which has been vehemently opposing the Jagan Mohan Reddy government’s proposal to replace Telugu with English as a medium of instruction in government schools from the next academic year, has a reason to cheer.
With the High Court, in response to a PIL, questioning the legality of the State move, the Vedika members see a ray of hope and intend to intensify their agitation and take it to the school level, to make students and their parents aware of the harms involved in such ‘unscientific’ policies.
“Court intervention asking the government to stop the printing of new textbooks is a positive sign. Suddenly asking 26.44 lakh children in government schools to shun Telugu and switch to English medium will certainly lead to anxiety among students and their parents,” says Vitapu Balasubramanyam, Member of the Legislative Council from Progressive Democratic Forum (PDF), one of the Vedika leaders spearheading the agitation.
Asserting that students and their parents should be given the option of selecting their medium of instruction, the Vedika has been insisting that the government make it mandatory for private schools also to give their students options between the English and Telugu media.
‘No compromise’
Mr. Balasubramanyam says there can’t be a compromise on this front since the issue has cultural roots.
It may be noted here that the Bill moved to give a legal shield to the proposed conversion of the medium of instruction in schools was defeated in the Council but HRD Minister went on to announce that the government was determined to go ahead with its plan.
The PDF has proposed four amendments to the Bill. It wants the children to have the options of both Telugu and English media, implementation of the same in private schools also at primary level, Telugu be made compulsory up to Intermediate level and effective implementation of the proposed English medium.
K.S. Lakshman Rao, MLC, Krishna Guntur Graduates’ constituency, and a Vedika member, explains about the three different modes of protests. “We have been staging a series of protests at Dharna Chowk and other places, have voiced our concern on the floor of the Council and will also take legal recourse.” He thinks that the court may give its verdict in their favour. “The Right to Education which clearly says that education at the primary level should be imparted in mother tongue, is our big hope,” he says.
Signature campaign
Besides a massive State-wide signature campaign, the Vedika intends to organise seminars at the grass root level. “We are strong at the grass root level as we have teachers who can educate children and their parents about the ill-effects of this new system,” says Mr. Balasubramanyam.
“At this point, it seems almost impossible for the sudden language switch to become a reality. Leave aside students, how many teachers will be able to handle this well is the big question,” says a mathematics teacher engaged in designing of the new curriculum.
The next hearing of the case is scheduled for January 27. The court direction to stop the work of printing new books may hamper the frenzied pace at which the works are in progress.
