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School education

States realize English is what people want

Hemali Chhapia,TNN | Jan 26, 2014

The Times of India

MUMBAI: It's not just parents across India who are confused about the time and importance to be given to education in English and the vernacular; the latest data from NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) reveals our education establishment is just as perplexed, with very little uniformity in the way regional languages are treated.

The number of hours in a week that local languages are taught

The NCERT study, which examines classes per week at both the Class V and Class VIII levels, states that while schools in Maharashtra have set aside 13 classes a week at both levels for Marathi, the highest in the country for the vernacular, the weekly school timetable in Nagaland includes only three lectures for the local language at the Class V level, and in a small number of districts in Arunachal Pradesh, only four to five periods are allocated per week for the regional tongue in Class VIII.

Almost 30% states devote six to seven periods a week in Class V for teaching the local language, the study says.

Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh are next to Maharashtra in emphasizing the importance of the native tongue, with 12 classes per week at the Class V level.

"At the Class VIII level, most states have allocated more than six periods," said SK Yadav, author of the study called the National Study on Ten Year School Curriculum Implementation.

The NCERT Curriculum Framework had, in 1975, recommended setting aside 25% of the total weekly teaching hours or eight periods per week for the regional language. This was raised to 30% in 1988. It was then recommended that 32% of total teaching time be set aside.

The number of hours in a week that English is taught

In spite of this, English seems to be scoring. Introduced towards the middle of elementary school, it is now offered at the Class I level in 26 states, making it clear that most states have realized that that is what people want.

"In general, parents have started sending their children to public schools and not to government schools. In the Framework of 2005, it is mentioned that introduction of English is now a matter of response by the people and less an academic or feasibility issue," Yadav said.

In fact, many states have rewritten the school timetable and upgraded English in the last two years by redirecting some of the classes set aside for regional languages for English. Educationist J M Abhyankar said the State Council for Education Research and Training has now assigned 4.5 hours for Marathi and 5 hours for English.

Classes earmarked for teaching of English in Class VIII vary from five to nine per week in different states. In almost a third of the states, English is taught for six periods a week, while states like Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have provided seven periods. In Jammu and Kashmir, a maximum of nine periods have been allotted for the teaching of English per week.

2015: The number of hours for English, local languages

The Times of India, September 11, 2016

Deepika Burli

NCERT survey reveals state of English in Indian schools

Jammu & Kashmir tops the charts for most English classes at the upper primary level with nine periods a week, a decade-long National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) study has revealed. The study was conducted under the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) that had suggested English be introduced as a second language at the primary level. The study pointed out that the choice of the subject rests with the parents and does not depend on academic or feasibility issues of schools.

In Karnataka, it was found five periods were dedicated to English in a week at all stages of schooling -primary, upper primary and secondary -while Sikkim dedicates 10 hours a week for teaching the language at the secondary level.

Along with Punjab, Manipur, Tripura, Odisha and West Bengal, Karnataka is yet to implement the NCF. Besides Sikkim, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have allo cated eight periods weekly for English-language teaching at the primary level. However, Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya do not give much importance to English.

In terms of giving importance to mother tongue, West Bengal, which conducts an examination for Bengali language for 200 marks for upper primary students, tops the list. At the secondary level in Karnataka, Kannada, offered as the first language along with Sanskrit and English, accounts for 125 marks. However, most states cap marks for the mother tongue to 100.

Karnataka schools dedicate six periods a week for Kannada, while Maharashtra has allocated 13 hours weekly for Marathi ­ the most in the country . Andhra Pradesh conducts 12 periods a week for Telugu at the primary level.

The report found that 15 states across the country follow NCERT prescribed curriculum and textbooks. On the other hand, 14 states have managed to integrate the NCERT prescribed syllabus within their own. Awareness programmes and financial aid from the ministry of human resource development would be provided to states that have not fully implemented the NCF.

The study pointed out that states and Union territories had prioritised languages in accordance with their sociocultural aspects.

While a majority of the states adhere to NCF, a few follow varying systems owing to the different parameters that govern their systems of education. The study was conducted to assess the status of the curriculum at schools introduced in 2000.

The report analysed the structure of the curriculum, working days, school hours, class hours in a week and pedagogical techniques among other aspects of school education in the country .

More recesses lead to more study

More recesses lead to greater willingness to study among students, a 10-year National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) survey has found. But only one recess period is provided in schools during the day in 23 states and Union territories. These schools recorded a total working time of six hours and a break ranging from 30-40 minutes daily. In Sikkim, where working hours are seven daily, students are given two breaks ­ one of 15 minutes and another of 35 minutes. The survey said that school hours tend to increase because of longer recesses, but also help break monotony . At the secondary school level, three recesses are given in schools in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Kerala, while Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra provide just two breaks daily.Interestingly, Puducherry has a system of just one 15-minute break throughout six-hour school day.

Linguistic patriotism for the poor, English and good jobs for the elite

Linguist Peggy Mohan said, "What we have created is an India where the elite have decamped to English, leaving it to the poor to keep our languages 'warm' for us in our absence. It is not surprising, then, that the poor have decided to follow us up the food chain into the privileged world of English."

Mohan added, "While they (parents) may know they are abandoning their heritage by putting their children early into English-medium private schools, they are sanguine about this, choosing to survive in the present milieu over being the reluctant custodians of local languages that have given them precious little in terms of livelihood in return for loyalty.

2008-14

Children attending English medium schools: 2008-14

The demand for English-medium education in representative Indian states, 2008-14; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, Sep 28 2015

The Times of India, Sep 28 2015

Rema Nagarajan

No. of kids studying in English doubles in 5 yrs

Politicians might try hard to push Hindi, but people are voting with their feet, opting to put their children in English-medium schools.While overall enrolment in schools went up by just 7.5% between 2008-09 and 2013-14, and enrolment in Hindi-medium schools went up by about 25%, enrolment in English-medium schools almost doubled in the same period. While the number of English-medium school students is still dwarfed by those in Hindi-medium, the growth in the English numbers is significant, jumping from over 1.5 crore in 2008-09 to 2.9 crore by 2013-14. In the same period, the Hindi numbers went up from 8.3 crore to 10.4 crore.

Interestingly , the highest growth in English-medium enrolment was in the Hindi speaking states. It was highest in Bihar, where it grew 47 times or 4,700% while Hindimedium enrolment grew by just 18%. In Uttar Pradesh, English-medium enrolment grew 10 times or by over 1,000% compared to just 11% in Hindi-medium enrolment. In other Hindi speaking states too English-medi um enrolment grew massively -525% in Haryana, 458% in Jharkhand, 209% in Rajasthan and so on.

These trends are based on data received from 14.5 lakh schools spread over 662 districts across 35 states and Union territories. English is the fastest growing medium of education in India, according to data received from states, which has been put together by the District Information System for Education (DISE) of the National University of Education Planning and Administration under the human resource development ministry .

Since 2010-11, DISE has been covering unrecognised schools and recognised and unrecognised madrassas, which in 2013 14 comprised 2.4% of all schools. While there is some underreporting of enrolment by medium of instruction, as acknowledged by DISE, the undercounting is not big enough to affect the overall picture.

UP and Bihar make up 53% of the students enrolled in Hindi medium schools. Add Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, and these four states account for more than three-quarters of Hindi-medium students, close to eight crore. If the other three Hindi speaking states -Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Haryana -are added, it would account for 90% of those in Hindimedium, leaving about one crore children in Hindi-medium schools in the rest of the country . Of the 2.9 crore English-medium students, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir, in that order, make up over 54%.

The highest proportion of English-medium enrolment was in Jammu and Kashmir, where almost all students are in English-medium schools.

The teaching of English

To teach English, you must have studied English: HC

Subodh varma, TET Result Not Enough, Says Court, June 3, 2017: The Times of India

The Rajasthan high court has ironed out another wrinkle in the state's education system: prospective school teachers need to have studied the subject they are going to teach to kids. Believe it or not, till now, you could start teaching English (or other optional languages or even history) to upper primary classes in the state without studying it previously and without training in its teaching.

A division bench of the court ended this last Monday while disposing off a bunch of petitions that had travelled up the judicial system. Some were arguing that applicants to the posts of over 4,000 English teachers need not have studied English in their B.Ed or bachelor's programmes, others were urging that that applicants need not opt for English in the entrance test, while the rest pressed for opposing views.

The judgement has implications for the whole country because in many states, school teachers are appointed just on the basis of their performance in the Teachers Entrance Test (TET). While prospective maths and science teachers have to compulsorily take these subject options in the test, in the social sciences and languages it was open season. Anybody could become a history or Sanskrit teacher without having prior education or training in these subjects.

So much so that in 1998, the Punjab and Haryana high court had to step in and direct that only such candidates could be appointed Sanskrit teachers who had studied Sanskrit earlier. In 2003, the Jharkhand high court too ordered the state government to appoint teachers who had learnt the methods of English language teaching earlier.

But how has this bizarre practice continuing? The roots lie in the eligibility conditions laid down by the panIndia regulator of teachers' training, the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE). In 2011, it notified the criteria for appointment as school teachers in which the qualification was laid down as various kinds of degrees and diplomas and passing of TET. It was not specified that candidates need to have studied the subjects for social sciences and languages. Using this ambiguity , States started appointing teachers just on the basis of passing TET, without seeing whether the candidates have studied the relevant subject in their B.Ed. or bachelors' programs previously .

The Rajasthan high court also received an affidavit from the NCTE saying that “pedagogy in a teacher education programme is an integral and essential component of the D.El.Ed. & B.Ed. syllabus“. In plain English, this means that you have to know how to teach a particular subject to get a diploma or degree in education. NCTE counsel too said in the Court that the Division Bench had noticed what was intended by NCTE.

Since NCTE has now clarified that teachers need to have formally studied the subject during their previous education, this becomes applicable to the whole country according to experts tracking this case. Now it is up to state governments to ensure that this condition is fulfilled elsewhere too.

The position in the states

Delhi: Increase in English medium schools, 2008-14

The Times of India, Oct 08 2015

Share of English medium students, Delhi, 2008-2014; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, Oct 08 2015

Rema Nagarajan

 Big shift from Hindi to Eng in city schools

 Enrolment in English medium up 4.5L in 5 Years

In 2008-09, only two of Del hi's nine districts had more students in English medium schools than in Hindi me um schools than in Hindi medium ones. Five years later, in 2013-14, the picture has flipped completely , with only three districts now having more Hindi medium students than English medium ones. For the state as a whole, there are almost as many stu dents opting for English medium as those in Hindi medium with the difference between the numbers of students enrolled in the two mediums at just over 53,000.From 37% of students in 200809, the share of English jumped to almost 49% by 2013-14. The district with the highest proportion of students in English medium schools are, not surprisingly , New Delhi (80%), South West (64%) and East Delhi (56%). The districts with the lowest proportion are North East (35%), North West and North (both 42%). Between 2008-09 and 201314, enrolment in Hindi medium fell by over 1.4 lakh, while enrolment in English medium in the same period rose by almost 4.5 lakh, according to an HRD ministry study . These trends are revealed in data from the states put together by the District Information System for Education (DISE) of the National University of Education Planning and Administration under the human resource development ministry . DISE has been covering unrecognized schools and recognized and unrecognized madrasas since 2010-11.

If the Delhi data is to be believed, there are no unrecognized schools in the capital though the all-India data shows that unrecognized schools comprised 2.4% of all schools in 2013-14. A total of 5,387 schools have been covered in Delhi. The number for English enrolment could be much higher if the hundreds of unrecognized so-called English medium schools in Delhi were counted.

Interestingly, two of the districts with the least pro portion of children in En glish medium, Northeast and North, have shown the highest growth in enrol ment in English medium, about 90% and 64%, respec tively.

Most districts showing high enrolment in English medium are also those with a large proportion of private schools such as East and Southwest where there are almost as many private schools as government schools. However, in New Delhi district, a relatively small district with just 98 schools and with the highest proportion of English medium students the number of government schools is higher, 58, com pared to just 40 private schools.

Without exception, in every district, government schools dominate among schools with only primary sec tion, and hence the number of children in Hindi medium too is highest in the primary section with a gradual shift to English medium in the higher classes. This is in keep ing with the pattern in other states as well.

Delhi: South corporation schools to teach in English

Alok K N Mishra, Delhi: South corporation schools to teach in English, Aug 4, 2017: The Times of India

HIGHLIGHTS

These English sections will, in consecutive academic years, become the succeeding English section of higher classes.

There are around 2.5 lakh students in SDMC’s 581 schools, most of them belonging to low-income families that cannot afford private education.

NEW DELHI: South Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to adopt English as a medium of teaching in all its schools from the next academic session. It will begin initially with one section in nursery and Class I that will have English medium instruction, with Hindi remaining an option. These English sections will, in consecutive academic years, become the succeeding English section of higher classes.

"English as the medium of instruction will improve the confidence level of students and prepare them for economic growth and social transformation," said SDMC mayor Kamaljit Sehrawat while explaining why the BJP-led civic body was pushing for English. "It will bridge the quality gap that parents believe exists between private schools and corporation schools."

There are around 2.5 lakh students in SDMC's 581 schools, most of them belonging to low-income families that cannot afford private education. The conditions at the homes of most are not conducive to academic pursuits, thereby, almost sentencing the youngsters to a life of inferior opportunities. "Our aim is to provide opportunities to students from the elementary school level itself," said Meeta Singh, additional commissioner and director of education, SDMC. "Students who opt for English as a medium of instruction will be admitted into the English sections of the classes." Singh said that the education department had made proper preparations for the introduction of English in the lowest classes in three months. An official added the corporation had competent teachers to teach English.

Ashok Agrawal, president of All India Parents Association, welcomed the decision to universalise quality education. "Educational discrimination exists across Delhi, more so because private, English-medium education is costly and beyond the reach of the poor," he said. He felt that when students passed primary classes and reached higher classes where lessons were taught in English, they would find it easier to understand scientific and other terms of science, which was not the case for those educated in Hindi.

SDMC will be the first corporation to have English as the medium of instruction in all its schools, though in 2013, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation introduced English in a section each in around 30 of its 586 schools. Referring to that experiment, an official of the north civic body, said, "The project proved quite successful. The demand for English instruction rose significantly and we extended the scheme to a section each in 100 schools." Around 20 schools run by the East Delhi Municipal Corporation also offer the English-medium option to one section.

An SDMC official elaborated, "The students who opt for English as a medium of instruction in Class I will again opt for it in Class II and onwards. In this way, English will become the medium of instruction in all the elementary classes."

Telangana: English medium on hold

English medium on hold in Telangana, Jun 9, 2016: Deccan Chronicle

The education department has not been able to take any decision as some educationists are demanding Telugu medium in primary schools.

ADILABAD: The state government has postponed its decision to introduce English as the medium of education in government schools for the 2017-18 academic year, according to Deputy Chief Minister and education minister Kadiam Srihari.

The education department has not been able to take any decision as some educationists are demanding Telugu medium in primary schools and are opposing English as the medium of education, while others want English medium from LKG itself, Mr Srihari said.

However, school management committees can introduce English medium if they are willing to, he said, adding that the government will not do so.

“We have put on hold the idea of introducing English medium in government schools form next year as there was no consensus on the issue,” Mr Srihari said. He some educational experts feel that teaching the students in their mother tongue is important for their all-round growth.

It is learnt that the state government plans to organise a meeting with educational experts to take a decision on the issue. The meeting will also discuss ways to increase student's enrolment in government schools for 2016-17, by least 10 per cent.

Uttarakhand English as medium of instruction from 2018

Shivani Saxena, U'khand govt schools will teach in English, Jun 30 2017: The Times of India

Uttarakhand has drawn up an ambitious plan to shift the medium of instruction from Hindi to English in the approximately 18,000 government schools in the hill state. The state's education minister, Arvind Pandey , told TOI the project would be rolled out in a phased manner, beginning with the introduction of English as the medium of instruction in Class 1 from the 2018-19 academic year.

“We intend to start teaching in English in Class 1 from next year. Gradually , we will change the medium of instruction to English in all classes,“ Pandey said.

The minister said it would take a few years to complete the mammoth exercise. “New books in English will have to be arranged for students. We may have to appoint new teachers or train the ones already employed for smooth transition,“ he said. Meanwhile, the government has taken several small but consistent steps to ensure students in government schools embrace English.Pandey said state-owned schools have recently been sent a list of 75 common English sentences which they have to incorporate in their daily class routine.“Once children start learning small new sentences and words, it will be easier for them to pick up complex words later when the medium of instruction changes,“ he added.

The list of sentences has been prepared by the State Council of Educational Research & Training (SCERT) and includes greetings and small talk.

Some of the sen Some of the sen tences in the list are: “My apol ogies“, “Have a good weekend“, “I am obliged“ and “What a nice day“.

Schools appear enthusiastic about the initiative and are adopting unique ways to ensure learning is easier for schoolchildren. In Chakrata, Pankaj Kumar, deputy education officer, has asked teachers to write down the sentences on charts and hang them in schools.

“We will encourage students and teachers to use the shortlisted sentences from this academic session which starts in July . It is a great initiative which can be highly successful if everyone cooperates,“ Kumar said.

Earlier in June 2017, the state government began preparing a list of 50 common English words and sentences that would be introduced in schools to enhance the language skills of students.

Kids from schools which have Hindi as the medium of instruction often face challenges in competitive exams or while pursuing higher studies in streams like engineering or medical sciences where English is the primary medium of instruction. In 2016, the human resource development ministry , in an answer to a Lok Sabha question, had revealed that Hindi continued to be the primary medium of instruction in schools across India with around 49% students studying in Hindi-medium schools.

Andhra, 2020 onw: Telugu, Urdu medium schools to be converted to English

Venu Lanka, Nov 6, 2019: The Times of India

VIJAYAWADA: There will be no Telugu and Urdu medium government schools in Andhra Pradesh from the next academic year as the state government has decided to shift to English medium education. Orders to this effect were issued.

All Telugu and Urdu medium schools will be converted into English medium schools. The move comes in the wake of an expert committee’s recommendation to make English medium mandatory to strengthen government schools.

School education department on Tuesday issued an order according permission to the commissioner of school education to convert all government, MPP, and Zilla Parishad schools and all classes into English medium. English medium will be implemented for classes 1 to 8 from the academic year 2020-21 and classes 9th and 10th from year 2021-22.

However, the commissioner of school education will take appropriate and adequate efforts to implement Telugu or Urdu as a compulsory subject depending on the current medium of instruction in all the schools compulsorily in line with the government orders.

The government directed the school education commissioner to deploy required teachers as per the staffing pattern prescribed by the government from time to time and as per pupil-teacher ratio for single medium schools.

The state government focused on training teachers as per the guidelines of the expert committee. The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) is directed to take necessary action for designing and development of teacher handbooks, training of teachers in English medium, teaching skills and knowledge, compendium of best classroom practices and other pedagogical material for supporting teachers to be skilled in English medium teaching.

The school education department is directed to take comprehensive action for online assessment of the current English proficiency levels of teachers and design appropriate training programs for utilising English medium teaching skills for teachers. Special English classes will be conducted in summer holidays and expert faculty deployed in the training classes.

A few teachers’ associations welcomed the move of the state government. They requested the government to focus on providing necessary infrastructure like smart classrooms, laptops and study material to handle the English medium classes in an effective way.

UP:  English in government schools from nursery level

Apr 07, 2017: The Hindustan Times

Uttar Pradesh plans to introduce English in government schools from nursery instead of Class 6 as part of a broader overhaul of the state’s education system that will blend nationalist and modern curricula, chief minister Yogi Adityanath has said.

In an interview to online portal Khabare.com, the 44-year-old leader said he had asked officials to prepare an education roadmap to enrol more students in schools, check cheating in examinations and introduce foreign language options from class 10.

“The traditional and the modern should blend. We should have an education system which promotes nationalism but is modern,” he told the website.

The controversial leader – who heads an influential Hindu sect in eastern Uttar Pradesh – has taken charge roughly two weeks ago but has already hogged headlines for anti-romeo squads, groups of policemen and women who patrol public spaces in cities and help thwart harassment. But many say they are little more than a moral policing gang that violate privacy.

But the CM defended the steps, saying there was no discrimination or harassment. “We are not taking decisions based on faces of people… so, no one who is following the law should worry…if people are sitting in parks, they are not committing any crime,” he told the portal.