Defending the decision of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, a votary of Telugu and the Andhra Pradesh Official Language Commission Chairman Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, said that the CM has only fulfilled what he had promised to the people. He was implementing what parents of school-going children had asked for.

The Hindu reported that Mr. Prasad said the government had conceded his demand to make Telugu as one of the subject mandatory in certain Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) schools, which was not the case in the past. “I urged the government to make sure that Telugu is ‘heard’ and ‘seen’,” he said.

While proponents and opponents are now engaged in a duel, YLP has said that he would request the CM to continue Telugu as an option for children who wanted to study in the existing system. Meanwhile, leaders of the AP United Teachers’ Federation have expressed fears that the sudden switch to a foreign language might result in a drop in educational standards, especially in schools in the rural pockets and also may increase the drop-out rate among girl students.

GummaSambasiva Rao, the former head of the Telugu Department in Andhra Loyola College and a prominent literary personality asserted his opposition towards the decision stating that even the Constitution says that mother tongue should be the language of instruction at least at the primary education level.

“Using mother tongue helps a child develop critical thinking and literary skills. Research shows that children learning in mother tongue have a better understanding of the curriculum,” he said citing examples of developed nations like Russia, Japan and China which “have not sacrificed their mother tongue in the name of development. It is a myth that academic excellence is possible only in English language,” he maintained.
 

The move has found favour with many

In an article for The Wire, KanchaIlaiah Shepherd, a political theorist, social activist and author said that Andhra Pradesh’s new education policy could create lasting structural changes.

Speaking exclusively to Sabrang India he said that he had been vociferously campaigning for English medium instructions in government schools for the past 25 years. Saying that the Andhra Pradesh government has taken a very positive stand by making this decision. He questions the move’s rejection by the Opposition leaders, stating that their own children study in private English medium schools. “Chandrababu Naidu’s children studied in English medium schools and they studied in America. Why is he then resisting the move and depriving the rural public and lower castes of this privilege?” he asked.

He also called Venkaiah Naidu’s objection to the move ‘hypocritical’. He explained, “Prior to Persian and English, Sanskrit was the ruling language, which was availed only by the Brahmins, Baniyas and Kshatriyas and could not be studied by the Shudras and Dalits. When Persian became the ruling language from the early 16^th century to the mid-19^th century, only the elite Muslims and the elite zamindars could study it for it was taught in private schools in urban areas. When English became the ruling language, it was taught again, only in private sector schools, not in the government sector. Government schools were to teach only in regional languages, which is a deception. Why not English medium to the rural poor, lower castes, Dalits, Adivasis Why shouldn’t they get a chance to become intellectuals, writers, thinkers, rulers, etc?”

He adds, “The hypocrisy of language is a dangerous thing. There is no definition of mother tongue. Today, everyone’s mother tongue is English. The elites from all castes Hindus or Muslims are studying in private schools. Why the disparity against the rural poor and backward classes?”

Professor DilipMandal, a consultant with The Print and the frontrunner in the Bahujan rights movement too backed the move. He told Sabrang India, “English is not just a language. It is also about hierarchy, knowledge production and knowledge creation. Getting knowledge in English is very critical in India and it should be either implemented for everyone or abolished for everyone.”

Answering the resistance against the move citing that speaking in your mother tongue helps in critical thinking, he said, “If this is the case, it should be true for everybody. If it is good for poor kids, it should be good for rich kids. Also, the case is not such that Telugu is being abolished completely or there is any injustice being done to the language. English opens many doors for knowledge and for jobs too. If implemented for everyone, it is a good step towards achieving an equal education policy.”

Sabrang India also spoke with Ruth Manorama, a Dalit women’s rights activist, who spoke in favour of striking the right balance. She said, “In a digital era, in the globalized context, English is a must. That doesn’t mean that the regional languages mustn’t be given any importance. India is a diverse country. Regional languages are important for studying about your own culture and for expression. English could homogenize us and it is necessary for teachers trained well to execute the required knowledge.”

She added, “English opens avenues and opportunities for progress. Regional languages are necessary to keep the diversity of the country intact. Studying English alone may further you away from your culture and identity, hence a combination of the two – English to abolish caste hierarchy, help women get their rightful place in society and do away with inequality; and regional languages to maintain your identity, self-expression and culture is the best way forward.”

Globalization ushered in year ago. Yet, today language remains a key component of society. From the power to affect a child’s psychology, to sustain a caste hierarchy, language has the key to make or break a nation’s future. The reach of education should not be limited to monetary means. It is a fundamental right and it is essential to standardize the medium of instruction on the basis of a global requirement, so that every child gets an equal opportunity at growth.

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The post Will English help bring the margins into the mainstream? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

आरएसएस के एक सहयोगी संगठन ने अंग्रेजी माध्यम से पढ़ाई खत्म करने की सिफारिश की है। देश भर के दलित स्कॉलर्स और कार्यकर्ताओं ने संघ के इस कदम का कड़ा विरोध किया है। उन्होंने इस सिफारिश को विकास विरोधी करार दिया है। दलितों का कहना है कि यह सिफारिश उनकी तरक्की को रोकने के लिए की गई है।

इंडियन एक्सप्रेस में छपी रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक आरएसएस के सहयोगी संगठन शिक्षा संस्कृति उत्थान न्यास ने मानव संसाधन मंत्रालय को अपनी रिपोर्ट भेजी थी। नई शिक्षा नीति तैयार करने से पहले भेजी गई इस रिपोर्ट में शिक्षा के माध्यम के तौर पर अंग्रेजी हटाने के लिए कहा गया है। मातृभाषा में पढ़ाई कराने और अंग्रेजी हटाने की सिफारिश के साथ न्यास ने कहा है कि भारतीय भाषाओं के विकल्प के तौर पर विदेशी भाषाएं न पढ़ाई जाएं। सभी रिसर्च ‘राष्ट्रीय हित’ से जुड़ी होनी चाहिए। भारतीय संस्कृति, समाज या विचार के किसी भी ‘गलत व्याख्या’ को हटा देना चाहिए।

भारिपा बहुजन महासंघ के अध्यक्ष प्रकाश अंबेडकर ने सबरंगइंडिया से कहा कि साफ है कि संघ दलितों को टारगेट कर रहा है। लेकिन अंग्रेजी माध्यम से पढ़ाई पर रोक लगाने की सिफारिश गरीबों को भी बुरी तरह प्रभावित करेगी। संघ के सहयोगी संगठन का यह कदम पुरानी व्यवस्था को बरकरार रखना है। प्रकाश अंबेडकर ने कहा कि ज्ञान का दायरा लगातार बढ़ रहा है और ग्लोबल होता जा रहा है लेकिन संघ के पैरोकार इसे लोकल बनाने की मांग कर रहे हैं। यह हास्यास्पद है।

प्रकाश अंबेडकर ने सलाह दी कि आरएसएस को दूसरों को सलाह देने के बजाय अपने संस्थानों में न्यास की सिफारिशों को लागू करना चाहिए। ऊंची जातियों के बच्चे अंग्रेजी माध्यम स्कूलों में पढ़ते हैं। क्या वे अपने बच्चों को इन अंग्रेजी माध्यम स्कूले से निकाल लेंगे? संघ को अपने कैडरों में मातृभाषा में शिक्षा का नियम लागू करना चाहिए। वो इसके नतीजे देखें फिर इसे देश की शिक्षा व्यवस्था पर लागू करने की बात सोचें।

प्रकाश अंबेडकर ने इस सिफारिशों के लागू होने की संभावनाओं को खारिज करते हुए कहा कि लोग इस पिछड़े कदम को नहीं स्वीकार करेंगे। अगर अंग्रेजी हटाई गई तो लोग विरोध पर उतर आएंगे। ऐसा लगता है कि अगर संघ का यह रवैया जारी रहा तो सत्ता उसके हाथ से निकल जाएगी।

इन सिफारिशों को आड़े हाथ लेते हुए दलित अधिकार कार्यकर्ता और मशहूर लेखक कांचा इलैया शेफर्ड ने सबरंगइंडिया से कहा कि संघ के सहयोगी संगठन को सबसे पहले तो सभी इंग्लिश मीडियम स्कूल और कॉलेजों को बंद करने का फरमान सुनाना चाहिए, चाहे इसका मालिकाना हक किसी के पास क्यों न हो। सबसे पहले तो अंग्रेजी आरएसएस की ओर से संचालित सरस्वती विद्या मंदिरों से हटाई जाए। संघ यह भी सुनिश्चत करे कि भारत अंग्रेजी बोलने वाले देशों को अपने सामानों का निर्यात नहीं करेगा। साथ ही उसे संकल्प लेना चाहिए कि शिक्षा को बढ़ावा देने के नाम पर वह ऐसे देशों से एक पैसा भी नहीं लेगा। तभी संघ का मकसद सही तरीके से पूरा होगा।

कांचा इलैया ने कहा कि संघ का यह कदम अंग्रेजी स्कूलों और प्रगतिशील माहौल में पढ़ने वाले पिछड़े समुदाय के छात्रों को हाशिये पर धकेलने की कोशिश है। इससे दलितों के विकास को बुरी तरह झटका लगेगा।

संघ की इस कोशिश का समर्थन करते हुए मुंबई भाजपा की प्रवक्ता आरती साठे ने सबरंगइंडिया से कहा कि उन्हें इस बारे में मालूम नहीं है कि इन सिफारिशों को कैसे और किस तरह पर लागू करने की योजना चल रही है। लेकिन उन्होंने कहा, मेरा मानना है कि अगर सिलेबस मातृभाषा में हो बच्चा इसे ज्यादा अच्छी तरह समझ सकता है। हालांकि मैं अंग्रेजी माध्यम में शिक्षा देने के खिलाफ नहीं हूं। 

इंडियन एक्सप्रेस की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक न्यास के संस्थापक सचिव ने दावा किया है कि मानव संसाधन विकास मंत्री प्रकाश जावड़ेकर ने कई सिफारिशों की तारीफ की है। उन्होंने कहा है कि वह निश्चित तौर पर इस पर विचार करेंगे।

The post संघ की एक और चाल – अंग्रेजी माध्यम से पढ़ाई बंद हो appeared first on SabrangIndia.

An Indian Express report today revealed a number of recommendations submitted by Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas – an RSS-affiliated organisation, to the ministry of human resource development, ahead of the formulation of the new education policy. Apart from the demand for prominence for mother-tongues and elimination of English as a medium of instruction, the Nyas (trust) has also demanded that foreign languages not be offered as an option to the Indian languages, all research work should only be pertaining to ‘national interest’, and all references that insult Indian culture, sects or thoughts and offer “wrong” explanations be removed.

Prakash Ambedkar, president, Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh told Sabrangindia, “It’s quite obvious that they’re trying to target Dalits here, but this move will also affect the poor adversely. It’s an attempt at reinstating the old systems. Where knowledge is expanding its scope and is being globalised in the current era, they’re asking for localisation of knowledge. It’s ridiculous.”

He advised that the RSS should implement the recommendations within its own institutions before advocating these measures. “Children of almost all of the upper-castes study in English medium schools. Are they willing to withdraw their children from these schools? They should implement this suggestion within the cadre, see the results and then talk of its nation-wide implementation,” he said.

Dismissing the chances of the implementation of these recommendations, he added, “People will not support these regressive ideas. They will speak up. Looks like they (right wing organisations) will end up losing power (if continue to function in this manner).”

Taking ta jibe at these recommendations, Dalit rights activist and eminent writer Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd told Sabrangindia, “They should ask for the closure of all (English medium) private schools and colleges, irrespective of their ownership. Why stop at that? They should also withdraw English as a subject from the Saraswati Mandirs – schools run by the RSS. They should also make sure that we do not export material to the English-speaking countries. And they should refrain from accepting even a penny form these English-speaking countries for educational purposes. Then, we can say, their purpose will be truly served!”

He further dubbed this moves as an attempt to marginalise students from backward castes studying in the English medium schools and progressive environments. “This will hamper the progress if Dalits,” he claimed.

Supporting the recommendations made by the Nyas partially, BJP Mumbai spokesperson Aarti Sathe told Sabrangindia, “I am not familiar with how exactly and on what levels do they plan to implement these measures, but, I feel that a child can understand the curriculum best if it’s in her or his own mother-tongue. Learning will become easier. Although, I am not against the English-medium education.”

According to the Indian Express report, the Nyas founder-secretary has claimed that the HRD minister Prakash Javdekar “appreciated many suggestions” and  said that they “will certainly consider” its suggestions.
 
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