‘Unnecessary experiment’: UP govt’s English-medium schools receive Hindi books, feel reversal is on the cards

SULTANPUR / LUCKNOW: Primary School Garavpur-I has been an English-medium school since 2018-19. Until last academic year, 2023-24, the school in Lambhua block of Sultanpur district received books in English and used to write ‘English medium model school’ as part of its name. When it was in English medium, the school had six teachers; now it has only four.

“Though we have not received any government order,….I believe that the government is planning to convert all English medium schools back into Hindi medium ones,” said Satish Kumar Singh, the school’s principal.

The academic session began in April; till the first week of August, all books received were in English. Singh was almost relieved. He believes a switch back to Hindi, if it’s made official, will be “good for students”.

“Our school is in a rural area and most of our students come from underprivileged and historically-marginalised communities. They do not understand English but can easily understand Hindi. Their family members cannot read English and hence cannot not help their children. I believe that the government has realised that students in government schools can be taught better in Hindi and hence reverting to Hindi medium will be a better decision,” he added.

Primary School Garavpur-I is among the 120 English-medium government schools of Sultanpur district under UP’s basic education department. It has also removed ‘English medium model school’ from its name. There are 15,000 such schools in 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

The Hindi books and a series of statements from the likes of former basic education minister Satish Chandra Dwivedi have led teachers to expect a switch back to Hindi. But MK Shanmuga Sundaram, principal secretary of basic education, said the schools will remain English-medium, at least for now.

“English-medium schools have received Hindi-medium books as supplementary books. They will also be receiving English medium books for this session. A decision regarding their continuity will be taken in the coming months,” he said.

UP schools and the English medium

In 2015, with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in government, the basic education department had converted two primary schools in every district of Uttar Pradesh into English medium.

After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2017, then basic education minister Anupama Jaiswal announced plans to convert 5,000 Hindi-medium primary schools into English medium. These schools began functioning in 2018-19. In March 2019, the state government decided to set up 1,000 English-medium junior-high or upper-primary schools across Uttar Pradesh.

By April 2021, the state government had converted 15,000 primary and upper primary schools to English medium.

Before the conversion, teachers were required to take a written test, and selections were made based on their performance. Those selected were trained by the directorate of basic education.

However, changing the medium of instruction turned out to be a more complicated undertaking. Teachers said the decision was spurred by “noble thought” but did not consider ground realities.

It erected a language barrier in the classroom; parents – the vast majority of whom don’t know English – lost the ability to monitor at home; and continued education became a problem as only primary schools – Classes 1 to 8 – had been converted, not the next levels. As one teacher put it, it was an “unnecessary experiment”.

Also read Chhattisgarh’s English-medium government schools have a language problem

Running English-medium government schools

The bulk of the conversion took place in 2017 and after. Nearly every school teacher Careers360 spoke to said it presented problems.

“We started as an English medium school in 2021-22. But it was a problem for our students who were in Classes 3, 4 and 5 as they had studied previous classes in Hindi. All of a sudden, they were given English-medium books and they could not understand a thing. It was a new experiment by the state government but it did not go well with students and teachers,” said Rekha Yadav, principal of Primary School Chandganj in Lucknow city.

Hindi-medium books received at English medium primary schools in Uttar Pradesh. (Image: Careers360)

In consequence, teaching continued to be mainly in Hindi.

Archana Shukla, assistant teacher at the same school, said that she had to use Hindi terminology even though she was using English books. “We started with full enthusiasm. But students were not able to understand anything….Their families could not help them with the language either,” she said.

“All the teachers in English-medium schools are bilingual. Till last year, we received English-medium books but we were using Hindi terms to help students grasp concepts easily. It was additional work for teachers to orally translate books,” said a teacher posted at Primary School Narhi in Lucknow, on conditions of anonymity.

He also felt that it was “an unnecessary experiment” on students. “Our school was converted into an English medium one in July 2019. From March to June, students studied from Hindi-medium books and they were suddenly asked to study in English. Now we have got Hindi medium books again,” he said.

Few upper-primary schools

There are other, more egregious problems.

“Our students cannot go to English-medium school after completing Class 5 from here as the nearby junior high schools (for Class 6 to 8) are not English-medium,” said Singh of Primary School Garavpur-I. There is just one junior high school in Lambhua block of Sultanpur district which has been designated as an English-medium school. “The government should have converted composite schools into English medium. This would have helped students learn everything in English from Class 1 to 8.”

On their part, parents are grateful for the Hindi books they have received this year.

In 2023-24, Anushka Maurya took admission in Class 6 at English medium Junior High School (JHS), Abhiyakala, in Bhadaiya block of Sultanpur after finishing her studies at the nearby Hindi-medium Primary School Abhiyakala. Last year, she received English books in Class 6, making it difficult for her mother Alka to help her in studies.

Now, with Hindi books in Class 7, Alka is better placed to help her daughter.

“Except for Hindi and Hindi grammar books, Anushka had received all her books in English when she was in Class 6. Those books were beyond my understanding. Now, with Hindi-medium books, I can help her with her studies,” Alka said. She is a graduate.

Also read Lost in translation: Darjeeling’s primary schools get English textbooks but teach in Nepali

NEP 2020: Learning in the mother tongue

Teachers believe their receiving Hindi books is a part of the state government’s efforts to implement the National Education Policy 2020. The NEP 2020 emphasises on learning in the mother-tongue.

They also believe that the schools will now continue in Hindi-medium.

“NEP 2020 says that students should be taught in their mother tongue to make them understand things. And hence, the government has reverted all English medium schools to Hindi medium through Hindi books this year,” said a teacher (on the condition of anonymity) of Composite school Saifabad in Patti block of Pratapgarh district.

This year, students in Classes 1 and 2 of UP government schools have received Hindi versions of the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) books as well.

Confusion and clarification

The confusion and uncertainty began brewing in August 2021. Then basic education minister Satish Chandra Dwivedi had said that English-medium schools will be closed in line with NEP 2020. Later, he clarified that no new English-medium schools would be opened but those which were converted from Hindi-medium will continue.

In August 2023, Vijay Kiran Anand, former director general, directorate of basic education, had reportedly said that English-medium schools could not meet the expectations. He said that with the government focusing on education in mother tongue and given the problems faced by students, English-medium schools under the basic education department will revert to Hindi medium.

However, present principal secretary Sundaram explained that Hindi medium books have been given to supplement English-medium books, not replace them, and teaching will continue to be in English. He also said that schools will receive the English textbooks in this session itself.

“As of now, there is no decision on reverting English-medium schools into Hindi medium. They are continuing as English medium schools as of now,” he said. “Parents also like to send their children to government-run English medium schools.”