Aasu rally to oppose teaching science and maths in English

Dibrugarh: Members of All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu) on Thursday staged a demonstration in Dibrugarh in protest against the state government’s decision to implement English as the medium of instruction for teaching science and maths in all government-run schools from Class 6 onwards.The Aasu members took out a rally from Chowkidinghee to the deputy commissioner’s office and raised slogans against the government. Later, the students’ body sent a memorandum containing their demand to education minister Ranoj Pegu through deputy commissioner Biswajit Pegu.Dibrugarh district Aasu president Bulbul Dutta said, “The decision by the state government to introduce English as a medium of instruction defies logic. This year, in classes 10 and 12, the performance of vernacular-medium schools was better than in English-medium schools. Even the top ranks were achieved by vernacular-medium students. The move to introduce English as a medium of instruction is quite illogical and will sound the death knell for vernacular-medium schools. We are going to oppose it. Even the National Education Policy emphasises the spread of local languages and the state government should heed it.”Justifying the government’s move, the education minister had earlier said that English education in Assamese-medium schools from Class 6 would open more opportunities for students in their higher studies. “This system will not harm the Assamese language. Instead, it will give an advantage to Assamese-medium schools. Not a single Assamese- medium school will be shut. If they learn Hindi and English it’s an added advantage,” the minister had earlier said.