Edu Dept does away with Eng medium of instruction
Karam Prakash
Tribune News Service
Patiala, February 4
Focus on Punjabi
English was introduced as a medium of instruction in schools of rural and urban areas. But teacher unions opposed the move saying students should be taught in their mother tongue till Class V.
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After facing flak from all corners, the Education Department has finally decided to do away with the mandatory clause of English as a medium of instruction in government schools. Henceforth, it will be optional for the students of government schools to opt for English as a medium of instruction.
In an order issued by the Education Secretary, on Tuesday, the department gave its nod to incorporate the said amendment into the policy of smart schools.
The order read, “English as a medium of the instruction is being made optional for students studying in government schools.”
Under the policy of smart schools, English was introduced as a medium of instruction in 40 per cent of the schools in rural areas, and 60 per cent of the schools in urban areas. However, various teacher unions and parental organisations had strongly opposed to the government’s move and demanded a rollback. Teachers were of the view that the students should only be taught in their mother tongue till Class V.
Both teachers and parents had opined that the students should start learning other languages only once they had gained full command over their mother language.
Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) is said to have raised the issue in a meeting with the Education Secretary on January 9. The DTF said they were given assurance by the Education Secretary that the Chief Minister had given his approval to the amendment.
Davinder Punia, state president, DTF, said they had already criticised the government’s decision to make English mandatory as a medium of instruction in the smart schools.
Education Secretary Krishan Kumar and spokesperson for the Education Department, Rajinder Singh, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
Education Minster Vijay Inder Singla said, “It is in the interest of children only. Sometimes, children in the rural areas are not able to understand the concepts in English, therefore, to safeguard their interest, we have decided to make the language optional. We can’t force any children to study in English only.”
