English becomes most preferred medium of instruction in all southern states except Karnataka: Study
A study by Unified District Information System (UDISE) has stated that among five states and one union territory, except Karnataka, all the other states are giving a push to English as the medium of instruction in schools.
FollowOver 50% school children in Karnataka prefer Kannada as the medium of instruction compared to children from other south Indian states and Union Territory who prefer English over their mother tongue.
As per Unified District Information System (UDISE) report 2019-2020 covering 26.5 crore children in over 15 lakh schools, 53.5% of students are being taught in vernacular language as a medium of instruction in Karnataka state.
Among the leading regions to see English as a preferred medium of instruction, Jammu and Kashmir as reported leads with almost 100% enrollment in schools imparting education in English medium. The trend to catch up with English in the south state can also be seen in Telangana state which saw 73.8% of the children are in English medium schools, the rest preferred to be taught in Telugu.
Kerala, known for high literacy rate in India, saw majority of students now preferring to be taught in English and Hindi and only 35% preferring to be taught in Malayalam. As per 2014-15 report, 45% preferred Malayalam as the medium of instruction.
The interesting thing to note in the 2019-20 report is, Tamil Nadu which is hell-bent on Tamil, also saw its students wanting to be proficient in English as 57.6% children now want English as medium of instruction in schools.
Andhra Pradesh, is another south Indian state where the administration itself is interested in its children to be taught in English medium. In September 2020, CM Jagan Reddy stated that all government schools will teach in English to its students and gradually Telugu medium schools will also notice changes.
North state belt also saw a surge in English as the medium of Instruction:
Delhi, Haryana and Punjab also saw the trend swinging towards English language from vernacular language.
Delhi saw a 7.6% jump and at present has 60% students who will be imparted education in English.
Similarly, Hindi and Punjabi belt Haryana and Punjab also noticed the jump. In Punjab, the state noticed a jump from 37.6% to 51% of students enrolling in English media and Haryana state that witnessed only 27.6% opting for English as a medium of instruction in 2014-15, saw a giant leap of 23% increase in children choosing to study in English medium in the recent report.
As per reports, in India, 26% are being imparted in lessons English while Hindi continues to dominate with 42%.
NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitize, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCoronaÂ
