English Medium Education in India: A Debate and Challenges

• The debate on the medium of instruction in India is influenced by constitutional rights, ground realities, and linguistic diversity.

• The Supreme Court of India ruled in 2014 that mandatory instruction in Kannada until Class four was not valid under the Constitution.

• The National Education Policy, pushed by the Centre, has a particularly anti-English edge, which is not in line with popular aspiration.

• English medium education is gaining popularity in states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

• English skills help individuals and the country gain a place in the global services sector.

• Education can perpetuate social inequalities, as knowledge of English is empowering and convertible for other outcomes.

• West Bengal is set to join India’s rare earth mining map with advanced exploration in Purulia district.

• The changing political landscape could pose a challenge to the Dravidian system and the State’s diverse ethos and distinct model of governance and development.

• Tamil Nadu faces a pivotal moment in its pursuit of an upper-middle-income economy, which is being tested by complex economic challenges and an assertive central government.