Pawan Kalyan joins anti-English, pro-Telugu chorus

The opposition against the Andhra Pradesh proposed implementation of English medium in government schools has gathered steam. The chorus against English is growing in the state with leaders cutting across party lines opposing the government’s move to implement English medium in government schools in Andhra Pradesh.

After TDP president Chandrababu Naidu and YSRCP ‘rebel’ Lok Sabha MP Raghurama Krishna Raju, Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan joined the pro-Telugu bandwagon.

Joining the growing number of discordant voices against the proposed implementation of English medium in government schools, Pawan Kalyan hailed the central government’s directive to mandatorily to impart primary education in mother tongue, local language or regional language students up to Class V under the New Education Policy (NEP). At the Union Cabinet meeting, it was decided that English could be optional up to Class 8.

The actor-turned-politician reminded that his party opposed the Jagan government move when it announced the implementation of English medium in government schools in Andhra Pradesh. Learning improved in countries that have invested in bilingual programmes, he stated. Students in bilingual schools showed lower dropout rates and higher scores in all subject areas.

Pawan Kalyan further pointed out that UNESCO has encouraged primary education in mother tongue and underlined the basic principle of children learning in a language they speak.

He appealed to the Jagan government to exhibit full respect for the use of mother language in teaching and learning.

“The education policies of the government should recognize the importance of learning in the mother tongue. The government should conduct a thorough study taking into consideration the opinions of experts from various fields. The government should take a call only after taking the opinions of experts in the education field. Mother tongue denotes the identity, culture and traditions of people of that particular state in India. Jana Sena is for preservation of Telugu language,” he stated.

For the protection and preservation of Telugu language and rivers, the Jana Sena Party will be undertaking ‘Mana Nadhi, Mana Nudu’ programme in a big way, Pawan Kalyan pointed out.

Earlier in the day, YSRCP’s ‘rebel’ Lok Sabha MP Raghurama Krishna Raju, who was highly critical of the move to implement English medium in government schools and sought the central government’s intervention in ensuring education in mother tongue in primary classes, stated that his stand was vindicated after the central government made it compulsory to impart primary education in government schools only in mother tongue.

He has stressed the need for giving a special thrust to the respective official language by every state government and Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy also should follow the same policy.

“All state governments should follow the central government policy. Andhra Pradesh should respect Telugu language and desist from imparting education in English medium at primary level,” Raju pointed out.

Chandrababu Naidu also welcomed the New Education Policy (NEP) approved by the Union Cabinet. He hailed the decision in favour of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction to the students up to Class V. The TDP chief said the policy would usher in significant changes in the country’s education sector.

The Jagan government’s move to implement English medium in government hit a legal roadblock. The government suffered a major setback with the High Court striking down G.O. Ms No.85 which made English medium education compulsory from classes I to VI in primary, upper primary and high schools under all managements from 2020-21.

It was to be gradually extended to each further class from the next consequent academic years. However, the Andhra Pradesh government filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court challenging the HC verdict on its plan to introduce English as medium of instruction from classes I to Class VI in government schools.