Jagan’s dream of ‘English medium only’ hits HC roadblock

Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy’s plan to convert all government schools into English-medium schools has received a major setback on Wednesday with the High Court of Andhra Pradesh squashing the Government Orders brought out last year to that effect.

The Hon’ble Court held that the medium of instruction should be the choice of parents and children.

In the absence of the court order, the government’s plan was to implement its GOs from the academic year 2020-21.  

A raft of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) was filed after the decision of the YSRCP government created a row.  

Who benefits from the order?:

While there is no way anybody can say if most children and parents would rather prefer English medium over Telugu medium, experts hold the view that learning in mother tongue helps more than learning in an alien language.  In recent times, the most populous State in India, Uttar Pradesh, made English medium compulsory across thousands of state-run schools.  However, recruitment and training of teachers has been a challenge in the State.  

What next for AP?:

The YSRCP government is expected to pursue its policy by exploring legal avenues.