Recently the government of Andhra Pradesh decided to convert all it's government schools to English medium schools by making Telugu merely an academic subject. But this decision was welcomed by more than 96% of parents in recent survey made by AP government. Is this decision right? Let's look into it together and find the answer.
This decision by AP government is not completely correct as it is not scientific and logical.
>>But why parents are supporting it?
First, there is a belief that English medium schooling can guarantee good career. So every parent is looking for good English education. Secondly, economically poor families are shifting their children from free government schools to private English medium schools. With this government decision, parents no need to look at private schools anymore for English education.
>>What does research say?
Research from India and across the world proved that children who get educated in their mother tongue learn better than those who start school in a new language. A language in the early schooling especially one that is not being used outside the school can become a barrier to learning. If a child speaks and understands the classroom language, engaging with new concepts , ideas and information will be easier. A study of learning outcomes in government and private elementary schools in Andhra Pradesh has found that children perform best in Telugu medium schools.
>>Minimum requirements
At a very minimum, such schools need teachers who, apart from being knowledgeable in the subjects they teach, are also fluent in the medium of instruction. I'm sure that most of the readers of this article will be hailing from English medium schools and you know how fluent our teachers were!!! That's not their fault because the vast majority of them have had their entire education in their mother tongue and state languages.
>> The Realization
English language alone will not give you a good career. Good knowledge along with good communication skills will give you a good career. Many B.Tech and other graduates who have had their complete education in English medium are not able to express themselves fluently in English. This shows that there is a fault in the system but not in the medium of instruction.
The government instead could work on improving English communication skills right from the start than simply abandoning the Telugu medium. English medium can be added from high school level in a phased manner. Just imagine you go to France and you don't find any French medium schools there!!! Isn't that little weird? Knowledge is divine but not the Language. If you ask me, I would say that I regret of not studying in a Telugu medium school and I will join my kids in a Telugu medium school so that they can grasp the concepts better. You may find it little crazy but that's what they need.
Thanks for reading, this article is completely based on my personal views and you may contradict my views without any hesitation in the comment section and share your opinion. Let me know if you need an article on topic of your choice.
MY NEXT ARTICLE:- THE KERALA MODEL OF EDUCATION
I agree with u bro..good concept
ReplyDeleteYes you are right bro but some times it also depends on children interest.
ReplyDeleteNice explanation bro, French example is perfect!! and you are right in mentioning about our teachers who would have studied in Telugu medium but still were fluent in teaching us.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the article, you mentioned about a research, it is good if you can mention about the name of the research to make it more factual.