[lg policy] Karnataka: Government opens English medium schools

[Harold Schiffman]

Government opens English medium schools
Srinivas Sirnoorkar Gulbarga, July 19, DHNS

In a major departure from the language policy in education, the State
Government has given up its rigid adherence to the policy of ‘Kannada
medium-only schools’ and has for the first time ventured into English
medium schools from the current academic year.  Quietly, but steadily,
the BJP government has opened 74 English Medium schools, from 6th to
10 Standard across the State, chiefly in the educationally backward
taluks. Providing the springboard for the state to jump into English
medium schools is the centrally-sponsored Rashtriya Madhyamik Shikshan
Andolan (RMSA) scheme under which 74 Model Schools have been opened in
the State, including 29 in Gulbarga Division which is considered the
most backward region.

English medium schools have been opened in 29 of the 33 Educational
Blocks in Gulbarga division comprising six districts, most of them in
taluk centres. Besides, breaking the shackles of Kannada medium, the
Model Schools have also drastically changed the status of Kannada
language in school teaching. Hitherto, Kannada enjoyed the first
language status in Government high schools and now it has been
relegated to second language status. The new schools will have English
as the first language, followed by Kannada second language, and Hindi
the third language.

“After lengthy deliberations at all levels, the government has taken a
calculated decision to go for English medium of instruction. It is
perhaps due to the necessity, demand and inevitability of English
language in education in the liberalised era,” remarked Additional
Commissioner of Public Instruction Syed Abdul Rub of Gulbarga
Education
Commissionerate. According primacy to English in educational
instruction has been in the air for quite a long time, but no
government had taken the risk of annoying the Kannada protagonists’
lobby.

Entrance test for Std V

The Yeddyurappa government, however, has chosen to take the calculated
risk, starting with teaching English informally from the first
standard in government schools, a few years ago. The Model Schools
which offer education from Standards 6 to 10 have already been started
from July 15 after conducting entrance test for the 5 standard passed
students.  “There was very good response for the entrance test in
rural areas. The test was conducted both in Kannada and English,’’ Rub
said. As many as 2513 students appeared for the entrance test in the
seven educational blocks of Gulbarga district. Each school has an
intake of 80 students. For 560 seats there were 2513 students which
works out to about 4.5 students per seat. This is in the maiden year
of introduction with not much of publicity down the line. Rub hoped to
open Model Schools in the four remaining blocks from the next year.

Right now, the schools have been started in government buildings and
they will, in course of time have their own permanent building. Each
Model School will be constructed in an area of five acres. In
Chincholi taluk, land has already been earmarked for the purpose and
in other places the search for land is on. Teachers have been drawn
for the new schools from among those serving in high schools, after
conducting written and oral examinations for them to judge their
aptitude for English medium teaching. Rub said that recruitment of
teachers exclusively for Model Schools will be conducted in due
course.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/82494/government-opens-english-medium-schools.html
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