The Andhra Pradesh government has told the Supreme Court that providing education through English medium would help the poor and marginalised students achieve better job opportunities for career growth. English will make such students confident in applying to foreign institutes as well.
The state government told a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde that the Andhra Pradesh High Court has ordered a stay on the implementation of such plan for government-run Telugu medium schools. This stay will limit the prospects of the students hailing from weaker sections of society and deny them from exploring various available opportunities that are easily accessible to students who have better knowledge over the English language.
Senior advocate K V Viswanathan, representing the state government, told the apex court that the ‘most formative years of a child requires a medium of instruction to be in English so that no "islands of exclusion" are created.’
He said the state government is deciding to establish Telugu schools at Mandal headquarter levels. Such schools at Mandal levels will have transport facilities and help those students who want to study in their native language. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also along with Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, mentioned that calling those who have studied in the vernacular language are living in 'islands of isolation' is a bit "uncharitable".
The apex court has moved the matter to hear next week. Earlier in April 2020, the Andhra Pradesh high court had dismissed and kept the order aside for converting the mode of instructions in government schools from Telugu to English.
Mr Vishwanathan had earlier said a majority of parents wanted English to be the medium of education. Such requests are progressive, and farsighted in measure and also keeping in tune with the provisions of the Constitution.