Andhra Pradesh High Court quashes English medium GOs

Vijayawada: In a major setback to the YSRCP government, a division bench of Andhra Pradesh High Court comprising Chief Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari and Ninala Jayasurya, on Wednesday struck down the GO No 81 and 85 issued by the AP government introducing compulsory education through English medium in all government schools.

While striking down the two impugned GOs, the court ruled that the medium of instruction should be the choice of the children and their parents.

But the state government indicated that it is committed to implement the decision and if required will knock the doors of the Supreme Court.

The state government has issued the two GOs for the conversion of all government schools into English medium schools from the academic year 2020-21. The GOs were challenged in the High Court through various Public Interest Litigations (PILs). Two BJP leaders had also challenged the government orders.

The government's move had sparked a row then with a section of academicians, Opposition parties and various people's groups opposing the introduction of English as the medium of instruction replacing Telugu or Urdu.

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu had also opposed the idea and favoured teaching in mother tongue at school level. Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu and actor-politician Pawan Kalyan had also strongly opposed the move.

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had defended the government move saying that it is aimed at ensuring quality education to children from weaker sections of society and prepare them to compete with others. He had asked Venkaiah Naidu, Chandrababu Naidu, Pawan Kalyan and other leaders to oppose the move only if their children or grandchildren did not go to English medium schools.

Advocate General S Sriram, defending the government decision, said that Article 350 of the Constitution provides only for safeguarding the rights of the minorities for being taught in their mother tongue. He also said that the decision did not violate Section 29 of the Right to Education Act. He appealed to the division bench to consider the draft policy (National Education Policy, 2019) of the Central government which has discussed only the possibilities and did not make it imperative to formulate the new policy.

He also pointed out that the government had taken steps to promote mother tongue by making Telugu as a compulsory subject in the curriculum. After hearing the arguments of the petitioner and the government, the division bench directed the government to leave the decision to students and their parents.