New Delhi: The Supreme Court has observed that “it is important for a child to learn in mother tongue”. The top court made the observation while hearing the Andhra Pradesh government’s petition against a High Court order.
The state government’s decision to make it mandatory for schools to impart education in English for students from Class 1 to 6 was cancelled by the HC.
“About 96 per cent of parents in Andhra Pradesh want their children in English medium schools…. every mandal has a Telugu-medium school, and transport is free,” senior lawyer K V Viswanathan, who represented the Andhra Pradesh government, told the top court on Tuesday.
“English cannot be kept with the rich and powerful… poor students cannot pay huge fee for English medium (schools),” he added.
Replying to the arguments, Chief Justice of India S A Bobde said: “Question of (imparting education) in English or vernacular… these are not divergent views. If you go to China or Russia, the children are taught in their own language, and not (in) a foreign language.”
“We must know, for the foundation, it is important for a child to learn through mother tongue,” he further said.
“Personally, I may agree with you. We want to see the overall picture and decide,” the Chief Justice added.
Giving a counter viewpoint, Viswanathan suggested: “If you don’t study in English medium, you cannot appear in the Supreme Court and argue.”
However, the viewpoint was opposed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan.
Sankaranarayanan pointed out that one of the judges in the bench – Justice V Ramasubramanian – studied in a Tamil-medium school.
The Chief Justice replied to the lawyer and said, “You are giving an example and painting a picture that those who study in Telugu are unable to argue in Supreme Court. After school, and by the time advocates come to court, (there’s a) lot of learning period.”
Vishwanathan explained his views by saying, “I have friends who studied in vernacular, think in vernacular, translate it in English and by the time they utter it, the miscellaneous cases are over.”
Viswanathan told the apex court that the most formative years of a child requires medium of instruction to be in English so that no “islands of exclusion” are created.
Mehta submitted before the bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, that those who have studied in the vernacular medium are in ‘islands of isolation’ is a bit “uncharitable”.
The top court has now posted the matter for next week.
In April this year, the High Court had set aside the order for government schools to convert the medium of instruction from Telugu to English.
