Udupi, 29 July 2012: Statewide one by one Kannada
medium schools are closing due to shortage of students as the Parents
and students prefer English language. But if the government make its
policy little flexible, with the help of the community they can save the
government Kannada medium schools. A similar attempt is going on in
Thonse Grama, near Kemmannu.
The school which is in the threshold of celebrating the centenary year,
the Government (Urdu) Higher Primary School is almost ready to be
closed in another one or two year. There are only 45 students from 1st
to 7th standard now. This time from 1st standard to 5th standard though
there were 5 student admitted only 3 are attending classes and there is
no surprise if this turns to zero next year.
This school will become a burden to the educational department; hence
it will be inevitable for this school to close next year. But still it
is the desire of an old student of this school who studied here and now
employed abroad in a good job to save this school. For this he has
offered a request to the government.
The request is that there is no need to close the school, let the
education board appoint a teacher to teach English from 1st standard.
Let all the classes go on as before in Kannada medium. Already Urdu
language is being taught here. Also can began to teach English language
and the salary for this English teacher he will pay and also the
necessary new building and basic facilities he will arrange, says old
student Fatauallah Saheb and this is also the unanimous decision of all
the old students.
In Thonse West and Hoode areas where majority population is Muslim, the
old students hope that, if English is taught as a second language from
the 1st standard itself the students who go away for the sake of English
language will definitely come back to this school. At one time there
were 400 students in this school, so to have again 100 – 200 students is
definitely possible, hopes the old students.
But this work has to be done at the government level and for this
purpose the old students are doing the regular letter correspondence
from the District Education Officer to the Education Minister. If this
effort to teach English from 1st standard becomes successful, then they
will not only save the Thonse school, but might save hundreds of Kannada
medium schools in the state which are going to close. - UT
