JOIN USIn Bihar, school teachers maul English
Much before the Sridevi-starrer movie “English-Vinglish” hit the screens in October, here is a sample of how the Queen’s language is taught in the rural hinterlands of Bihar.
The tiny tots at villages in Vaishali district have been told to write April as “Aprail” (the way it is pronounced in Hindi), nurse as “nursh” while and Saturday as “Shutterday”.
Amid the growing clamour among the new breed in rural areas to learn English, there has been a mushroom growth in schools and coaching centres teaching “written and spoken English.” But the quality of teachers remains dismal. Much of the blame is put on the Nitish regime, which appointed hordes of unqualified school teachers without being made to appear for merit examination.
No wonder, a teacher in a government school at Vaishali was found to have written monkey as “munky” on the blackboard, where he was teaching primary school students. Some 50 kilometres away, another teacher in one government school in Mahnar was found to have written January as “Junwary” and February as “Farrwery” (as they are pronounced in Hindi).
Similar was the case with coaching institutes which boast of improving written and spoken English within a stipulated time frame or else full refund. Monkey is “munky”, nurse is “nursh”, Saturday is “shutterday” and Thursday is “Thirstday” in these institutes.
“A few years ago, government school teachers in Bihar were appointed on marks basis, while constables were asked to appear for written examination. Actually, it should have been vice-versa, if the Nitish regime really wanted to appoint quality teachers.
Hence, insurance, post-office agents and other unemployed, who did not know how to write a single correct sentence, were appointed teachers. As you sow, so you reap,” lamented a Patna University professor, while talking to Deccan Herald here on Monday about the deterioration in teaching standards.