Experts flag lack of trained teachers in English medium sections of govt schools

Dharwad: With the government introducing English medium instruction in 4,134 of the 21,045 government primary schools in the first phase, teachers and educationists have flagged severe shortage of trained teachers. Currently, Kannada medium teachers are given one month training to equip them to teach the English medium students as well. Experts say that this move is unscientific and not feasible.  

In a bid to prevent the closure of government schools and to fulfill parents’ growing demand for English-medium education, the School Education and Literacy Department has launched English-medium sections in government primary schools across Karnataka.  

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The English-medium sections have been started in existing schools without additional teaching staff or infrastructure. This year over eight lakh fresh enrollments have been recorded of which 30% of the parents have opted to enroll their children into English medium, said the officials.

Existing Kannada-medium students were also given the option to switch to English. According to senior education officer Girish Padaki, the response has been encouraging, with nearly 45% of students opting for the English-medium sections.

However, many educationists believe the rollout was rushed and inadequately planned.

Senior writer and activist Shankar Halgatti, also the general secretary of Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha, strongly opposed the move. “A crash course of one month is not sufficient. This kind of approach only sets up both students and teachers for failure.”

Halgatti warned that students might ultimately fall through the cracks - unable to learn effectively in either Kannada or English - leaving them in doldrums. He urged the government to immediately withdraw what he termed an “unscientific” decision.

Kannada Development Authority Chairman Purushottam Bilimale echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the goal of education is to impart knowledge effectively.

“Mixing English and Kannada, especially in core subjects, will lead to confusion and negatively impact learning outcomes,” he noted.

Venkatesh Machaknoor, retired additional commissioner of the Education Department, stated that most teachers are not adequately equipped to teach core subjects like Science and Social Science in English. While classes 1 and 2, which do not have core subjects, may be manageable with existing staff, the challenge becomes severe from classes 3 to 7.

Another concern is that most teachers, who have been teaching in Kannada for years, are now being asked to switch to English after just one month of training - a transition many say is unrealistic.

Meanwhile, a government school teacher, speaking on condition of anonymity, cautiously welcomed the government’s intent but urged it to appoint dedicated English-medium teachers rather than burdening existing staff with the additional responsibility.

School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa told DH that he has discussed the issue of extending training hours for teachers with the department officials. 

“Additionally, the DSERT and RIE (Regional Institute of English) will be mandated to provide continuous and necessary training throughout the year and ensure quality teaching in all schools,” he added.