india

Updated: Apr 15, 2020 21:02 IST

The Andhra Pradesh high court on Wednesday struck down the orders of the YSR Congress party government in the state introducing English medium compulsorily in all the state-run schools.

A public interest litigation was filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sudheesh Rambhotla and advocate Guntupalli Srinivas from Guntur in December challenging the government’s order.

The court ruled that the government cannot force the students to study only in a particular medium. “The choice of selecting the medium should be left to the students and hence, the existing Telugu medium schools should continue,” the court said.

Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in November last mooted the proposal to introduce English medium in all the government schools compulsorily from 2020-21 academic year.

Later, the government slightly modified the orders stating that in the first phase, Class 1 to 6 would be converted into English medium and each class would be upgraded to English medium from the subsequent year. By the end of the fourth year, all the classes up to Class 10 would be converted into English medium.

A bill amending AP Education Act, 1982, introducing English medium in the government schools, was first passed by the state assembly during the winter session in December, but it was rejected by the legislative council, where the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has a majority.

Several members in the legislative council opposed the Bill, suggesting amendments which included making English and Telugu medium available in all government schools, allowing students or parents to choose between the two. However, the bill was introduced in the assembly for a second time again on January 23 and was ratified.

Jagan claimed in the assembly that introducing English medium at the primary level was a revolutionary step in moulding students for the future.

“As a father, anyone would prefer to send his children to English-medium schools, and as head of the state I have done the same by introducing the language from classes 1 to 6 starting from the next academic year,” he said.

He argued that he was only trying to raise the standards of the aspiring sections of society. He even accused the opponents of English medium of adopting double standards. “Which medium of instruction did TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu’s son study and is his grandson studying? Where are grandchildren of vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu studying?” he asked.

The chief minister claimed that many parents’ associations had welcomed the decision of the government to introduce English medium in the government schools, saying it would do good for their children. They only wanted the government to create sufficient infrastructure to teach the children in English medium.