English medium education to help poor, marginalised students: AP to SC

The top court has now posted the matter for hearing in 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.

The Andhra Pradesh government has told the Supreme Court that providing education through English medium would help the poor and marginalized students and bring better opportunities for career growth. The state government told a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde that the Andhra Pradesh High Court order, which stayed the implementation of such a plan for government-run Telugu medium schools, would limit the prospects of the students hailing from weaker strata of society.

Senior advocate  K V Viswanathan, appearing for 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 government had said that it would set up Telugu schools at Madal headquarter levels with transport facilities to help those students who wanted to study in their native language.

Solicitor General Tushar 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 hearing in 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. Vishwanathan had earlier said a majority of parents wanted English to be the medium of education and it was a progressive, forward-looking measure in accordance with the Constitution.

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