English medium sections in government schools

Updated on: Friday, August 03, 2012

Over 20,000 students going to government-run Tamil-medium schools in the state will soon begin to learn in English. Teachers are gearing up for the shift and classes will commence this academic session, according to secretary to the school education department, D. Sabitha.

A total of 10 schools — including primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools — in each of the 32 educational districts will have two additional sections in which lessons will be imparted in English. On whether teachers were trained for the shift in the medium of instruction, Ms. Sabitha said: “They are all highly competent teachers with either a B. Ed degree or a diploma in teaching, with a specialisation in English. They can certainly handle this challenge,” she said.

In case of primary schools, English-medium sections will be added in class I and in case of high or higher secondary schools, the two sections will be added in class VI.

The move to introduce English-medium sections in government schools across Tamil Nadu follows an announcement made by school education minister N. R. Sivapathy during the Assembly session.

The state government has been running some English medium schools, but they are few in number. This initiative seeks to give an option to students already enrolled in Tamil medium schools. The decision was taken keeping in mind the current requirements at institutions of higher learning as well as the industry, school education department officials said.
Catering to preferences

Also, several children going to Tamil-medium schools aspire to learn in English and speak the language fluently. The craze for private schools, particularly among lower middle class groups, is mainly due to the preference for English-medium education,” said a senior official.

It was this preference that the Chennai Corporation responded to when it opened English medium sections in its schools, a few years ago. It started off with 70 schools in Chennai and is now in the process of adding 30 more sections.
Special training needed

The Corporation’s experience showed that teaching a predominantly Tamil-speaking class in English required specific skills and training.

Most students’ exposure to English was confined to the four walls of their classroom. “It was a genuine challenge. So, we got experts in English language teaching to help our teachers. Our teachers are currently undergoing training in batches,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Elites Forum has said that many scholars consider mother tongue education best for students and the state government should not promote English medium education.

English medium sections in government schools

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