Introduction of English medium from Class 1 to 6 in government schools is aimed at enabling the children to earn decent jobs. Quality education is the only way to alleviate poverty and raise the living standards of the poor, according to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Providing English medium education at zero cost was a step in that direction, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said while delivering the keynote address at an education conclave with the theme ‘Excellence in Education’ organised by The Hindu Group and moderated by its Chairman N. Ram here on Wednesday. “Telugu has been made a compulsory subject in both government and private schools to ensure that it is not neglected,” he pointed out. In the era of computers and the Internet, English could not be ignored, he added.
The fact that 98.50% of the private schools were imparting education in English proved the importance of the language. The government schools could ill afford to buck that trend if they were to stay in the reckoning and the future generations should be equipped with the skills required to be competitive, observed the Chief Minister.
“The government has not only laid thrust on English language communication skills but also initiated steps to improve the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of the children aged between 18 and 23.” India’s GER was 23% compared to about 50% in Brazil and China and an impressive 81% in Russia. It meant that 77% of the children were not enrolled in colleges beyond Intermediate. The illiteracy rate in Andhra Pradesh as per the 2011 Census stood at 33% against the national average of 27%. Priority was, therefore, attached to improving the GER and the literacy level, which were crucial to achieve the stated goals, he said.
“English is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Since English medium education is expensive, it has been decided to offer it in government schools to benefit the poor children who needed to possess the skills before they pass out of college.”
At the same time, the Chief Minister said, the government was aware of the teething problems which mainly include the gap of English language skills among the teachers. Hence, bridge courses were contemplated to be conducted to sort out the issue.
Major initiative
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said ‘Nadu-Nedu’ was another major initiative under which facilities were being improved in 15,715 schools in the first phase of the total 45,000 schools. Besides, the quality of midday meal was being enhanced and the menu diversified.
Financial assistance of ₹15,000 was being extended to mothers under the ‘Amma Vodi’ scheme to help them in getting their children educated. Seventy-five per cent attendance would be made compulsory from the next academic year for availing the benefit of the scheme, he said. To make higher education more qualitative, it has been decided to increase the duration of bachelor’s degree courses, including engineering, from four to five years. They would be henceforth ‘honours degrees’, the Chief Minister added.