Lessons from Chhattigarh’s new English-medium school programme

Dear reader,

In 2020, Chhattisgarh launched a chain of English-medium schools, with the aim of providing "a level playing field to bright students from economically weaker sections of the society". The programme was one of several initiatives launched in recent years by states, including Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, to expand English-medium education in government school systems.

These moves are in tension with the National Education Policy, 2020, which recommends that students should be educated in their mother tongue or regional languages at least up to Class 5, and even beyond. But some states have pushed forward with these measures, even in the face of fierce opposition from political rivals.

Johanna Deeksha travelled to three districts of Chhattigarh to meet principals, teachers, parents and students of new English-medium schools, and learn how the programme was being received. She found that while many were pleased with the schools, some teachers and students were disappointed – among them those from Hindi-medium schools, who had been shifted out of existing schools to make way for the new schools. You can read the story here.

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Ajay Krishnan
Senior Editor

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