Minister flays private schools for pushing English
- Compelling students to speak in English is a reflection of colonial mindset
- Recently, a school had made a student to write imposition that he will not speak in Malayalam
FollowCiting Laika, Kerala Minister flayed private schools for enforcing English on campuses. The minister referred to Laika, the first dog to be on space, as a Russian pride that helped the country preserve their language.
Laika, the first dog on space, barked in Russian and not English, he said. Public Works Department Minister G Sudhakaran told Assembly during a discussion on enforcing English on school campuses across the state.
Chasting private institutions he said Laika helped Russians march against English and preserve the language of Pushkin, Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. To resist Malayalam and insist on speaking only in English even during intervals is a reflection of the colonial mindset, he said.
Recently, a school in Ernakulam forced a Class V student to write and imposition for uttering the word 'Aiyo' accidentally.
Read more: Child punished for screaming 'Aiyo'
In February, another school in Thodupuzha made four students of Class VII return home with a poster pinned to their uniforms, 'I'm very disobedient. I always speak Malayalam,' it read.
Also read:Strange penalty for speaking Malayalam in Kerala school
Though previous UDF government had made Malayalam mandatory, several schools are still hesitant to follow the order citing practical difficulties.
