Curbs on English medium in LP schools limit options in higher classes: Study

Says most students from poor households stick to Malayalam medium in higher classes

- SOVI VIDYADHARAN @T'Puram

OWING to the government policy that places certain restrictions on the creation of an English medium section at the Lower Primary (LP) level in government and aided schools, a high proportion of students from poor households continue to stick on to Malayalam medium in higher classes and are left with limited options by the time they reach higher secondary level, a recent study has shown.

The study titled 'Separate & Unequal?', authored by Sajitha Bashir, former advisor, Office of the Global Director of Education Practice, World Bank, has called for adoption of a bilingual model from the LP section itself to arrest the "skewed social composition in government and aided schools".