Changing medium of study from English to Malayalam; recommendation that will add fuel to students' insecurity about communicating in English

The recommendations of the reports submitted by the committees appointed for educational reform are not fully implemented for several reasons. Often, many good recommendations are not implemented due to objections from teachers' unions, student unions, etc. The Khader Committee's recommendation to make 30 percent marks in the written test mandatory for each subject to pass the SSLC exam is aimed at raising the standard of learning. The government is planning to implement even this recommendation by watering it down. The current decision of the Department of General Education is to implement this reform in the eighth class from this academic year and in the eighth and ninth classes from next year. The minimum mark of 30 percent will be mandatory in 2027, when students currently studying in class 8 will enter class 10.

There is no guarantee that even this decision will not be reversed. At the same time, another recommendation of the Khader Committee, that the medium of study should be changed from English to Malayalam, if implemented, will have a negative impact on the students' job opportunities in other states and abroad. So it is advisable not to implement it for the time being. Even now only a small percentage of our students have a chance of getting a job in Kerala itself. English knowledge is essential for finding a job and leading a life after studies. Students in Kerala fear campus recruitment because of their inability to communicate in English. The English speaking skills of the students who pass the Kerala syllabus are woefully low. In order to solve this, a learning method that gives importance to English learning and speaking should be adopted.

Sanskrit is a superior language but if people insist that it is enough to study only Sanskrit, how many children will get a job in the current situation? Education should be given to the children in accordance with the conditions of job opportunities prevailing in each age. Post-study interviews and all recruitment-related communications are conducted in English. With the advent of e-mail, the importance of the English language has increased tenfold. No one can deny that English has now become a global business language. Even though children in Kerala write their exams in English, they shy away from speaking because they fear grammar mistakes. Spoken English classes should be made compulsory to change this.

Similarly, it has also been recommended that core subjects in higher secondary should be reduced from four to three. There is concern that the Kerala syllabus students will lag behind in the national competitive examinations if this is implemented. Malayalees appear for NEET, JEE, Central Universities, and National Institutions entrance exams after Plus Two. If reducing the number of subjects will make Kerala syllabus students lag behind in competitive exams, this too should be thought twice before implementation. Reforms should be implemented to increase the attractiveness and academic quality of public education.