School Education Saga-IX: Govt schools or anglophiles manufacturing industrial units?

Hyderabad: Are the State government-run schools fast turning into Telangana tax-payers funded mass manufacturing industries to churn out anglophiles?

The question assumes significance as successive governments' public policy on school education since the formation of Telangana has adopted turning every school into an English-medium school.

Telugu is the official language of the State. It has acquired the status of a classical language. On top of it, for example, the Academic Calendar of 2024–25 mandates Telangana Bhasha Dinotsavam, i.e., Telangana Language Day, celebrated on the 9th of September every year.

Telangana Language Day was declared to celebrate the Telugu language spoken in Telangana on the 100th birth anniversary of freedom fighter and famous Telugu poet Kaloji Narayana Rao.

Narayana Rao is known for his famous lines reacting to criticising how the Telugu language is getting a raw deal in the United Andhra Pradesh with the increasing promotion of anglophile culture and people becoming rootless by drifting away from their mother tongue. His famous lines scoff at the people wearing on their sleeves being anglophiles as a badge of honour, and denounce, "Anya Bhashalu Nerchi Andhrambu Raadanchu Sakhilinchu Andhru Da Chaavavendukuraa” (taking pride in learning other languages, whinnying and boasting of not knowing Telugu. Why not die instead? Ye, Andhrites!).

These were not poetic outbursts, but the data available shows that barring the USA, Australia, Canada, and the UK, most of the major developed economies in Europe—even bigger and smaller countries making economic strides like China have galvanised their development based on learning and teaching based in their mother tongues.

Speaking to The Hans India, a senior official of the Vivekananda Institute of Languages, run by Rama Krishna Math, Hyderabad, said, "Scores of Indian students and professionals doing jobs from middle to higher rungs incorporates from abroad enrol in online foreign language courses like French, German, Japanese, Chinese, and other languages offered by the institute at Hyderabad and its other branches. Learning and being proficient in the local languages is a must for them to integrate with the local communities for seeking permanent residence in those countries and also to excel in their careers."

Further, when asked, sources in the State Education Department and the State School Education Department (SSED) have any reliable data to devise a public policy turning government schools aligned to pan-Anglo-Saxon. Besides, State universities like Osmania, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, and others are not sure of, what percentage of their undergraduate and postgraduate students who complete their studies in English are employed in the local, regional, national, and international economies. That further debunks the assumption behind the constantly promoted public policy on education that showcases the English medium alone as the soul saviour for students.

The academic calendar mandate to celebrate International Mother Language Day on February 21 is just another ritual being celebrated across the schools with no significance, either the promotion of Telugu or the Telangana Telugu Bhasha.