Students in Telangana lag in learning English

 

HYDERABAD: Many students of government schools are said to be struggling to cope with the introduction of English-medium education. These students, especially in higher classes, said they were not able to read, write or speak the language.

 

They said that the bilingual textbooks are not making a difference as they are unaware of the basics of English.

Some students of Class 8 that Deccan Chronicle spoke to said that they are unable to read Telugu in the first place, due to which the introduction of English and the bilingual textbooks was hardly making a difference.

Recently, an Intermediate student died by suicide over allegedly not being able to cope with the English language and others poking fun at him for that.

Most students said that being able to converse in Telugu and Hindi was sufficient.

A Class 5 student at a government school said that he did not like English as he could not understand it. “Teachers teach the lessons quickly and I do not understand anything. During exams, I cheat and pass the English exam. Knowing Telugu and Hindi is enough,” said Aditya, the student.

However, some students said that despite being interested in learning the language, there was a lack of support from other sections.

Pavitra, a Class 5 student of a government school, said, “I do not understand what the teacher teaches. If she starts teaching a bit slower, maybe I can catch up. The teachers do not teach us the language regularly. It would be difficult to survive without knowing the language.”

A volunteer at a government school said that teachers in government schools lacked empathy and that students lacked concentration. “Teachers do not have the resources to teach, and they teach all subjects in Telugu. Teachers lack empathy. There are few students currently who can speak in English,” the volunteer said.

Teachers and school heads cited an array of reasons for the lack of progress in teaching students English.

“Most of the students do not understand English, so we teach in Telugu. They are paid least attention by their parents. Covid-19 had a major impact on the student’s education and we are trying to bridge that gap, which will take time,” the headmaster of a government school said.

A teacher with a government school said, “How can the government suddenly just conduct a few courses and expect all teachers to learn and teach the language? It is tough and will take time.”