Q) Recently, AP state assembly passed a bill to introduce English medium in government schools. Discuss the challenges associated with the move. What are the measures to be taken for the effective implementation of the English as a medium of instruction in government schools?
Answers:
English has today become one of the major languages of the world. English-medium education to their children is a dream for a large number of parents in India. English medium in government schools benefit poor people who cannot afford private education, reduce educational inequalities, keep all Indians united, enhance employment opportunities, etc. Though there are benefits, there are many challenges in introducing English medium in government schools.
Challenges in introducing English medium in government schools:
- The regional languages which became popular after independence may endanger.
- Dropout rate may increase as students may feel difficult to understand
- Language skills is a crucial aspect in the move
- Providing quality teaching content is a big task.
- The move may end with some kind of bipolar anguish in the child to speak science, commerce etc. in one language, and emotion, heritage in another.
- Different types of English: Certain kinds come with a cultural capital which opens doors to elite institutions and companies, while certain other kinds of English freeze you at a particular point in the social ladder.
Measures to be taken for effective implementation of the move:
- The state governments should give more weightage to their respective regional languages
- Set minimum marks that one needs to score in the respective regional subject to make them eligible for state scholarships.
- In the event of a tie, the marks in the regional languages should be considered to decide a class/school/district and state topper.
- Make regional language a compulsory subject in every state government exam and consider the marks scored for final selection.
- The state government should train teachers leveraging the use of information technology.
- A monthly or bimonthly examination should be conducted for teachers under the supervision of the District Education Officer and the performance in these examinations should be linked to their incentives and promotions.
- Language laboratory should be set up to develop language skills in the students.
In order to compete in global employment or career opportunities, one has to be prolific in English medium. A pilot study should be conducted to identify the challenges before implementing this move on a wider scale.