English medium classes begin amid outcry
The government on Thursday commenced English medium from class VI with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus in 6,500 high schools in rural areas as a new experiment amid criticism against launching the scheme without proper trained teaching staff.
At a press conference here on Thursday, School Education Minister C. Damodar Rajanarsimha and Principal Secretary C. B. S. Venkata Ramana justified the experiment on the ground that it would offer convent-type English medium education to the children of the poor, making them fare better in life.
Classes VI and VII in 3,276 upper primary schools together with the staff have been shifted to high schools located within a radius of two km. A survey revealed that the attendance in class VI in 186 upper primary schools was zero and students had to trek five km on an average to reach school.
Teachers in the high schools selected for the new experiment would use All India Radio also to teach pupils English. They would listen to Telugu news bulletin and later the one in English so that they can follow the latter easily over a period of time.
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