Instituting English as a medium of instruction, however, moves much beyond standard normal politics for its potentially radical transformative social possibilities.Īlso read: Andhra Pradesh’s New Education Policy Could Create Lasting Structural Changes 15,000 for every mother who sends her child to school.

Jagan Reddy has decided to counter these with several populist announcements including the annual grant of Rs. The CBI has been strongly opposing Reddy’s plea to be exempted from weekly hearings for those cases and the state BJP unit, keen to gain a presence in Andhra Pradesh following Chandrababu’s decline, has been playing up Jagan’s “identity as a Christian” and accusing him of promoting missionary work. He stormed to power in May, winning 151 of 175 seats in the state Assembly but continues to be beleaguered by corruption cases pending against him. Reddy has come up with the English medium idea to overcome his current troubles. Jagan has hit back by asking TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and actor-politician Pawan Kalyan to clarify which medium their own children and grandchildren have studied in. Opposition parties, including the Telugu Desam Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party, are opposing the move on the grounds that it would affect the transmission of the Telugu language. He has asked the education ministry to institute teacher training plans for Telugu and Urdu medium schools to make the transition by 2020. His government has decided to make English the medium of instruction in government schools up to Class VI, with the intent of extending it to Class XII in the future. Jaganmohan Reddy is waging a cultural battle which is of momentous significance to his state and indeed the rest of India.

Away from Delhi, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S.

A Child Lost in Flight by Mohan