Migrant students join govt schools in large numbers but face Telugu hurdle

Hyderabad: Student enrolment has seen a sharp spike in government schools, with many from Andhra Pradesh and non-Telugu states — wards of migrant labourers who work at construction sites — joining in large numbers.

However, students of higher classes are facing problems due to the Telugu medium of education, as even the bilingual textbooks translate concepts from Telugu to English.

Authorities said that the enrolment of students from other states at schools near industrial clusters is particularly high, with natives of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat outnumbering locals in several instances.

V. Niranjan, a headmaster of a government high school near Shaikpet, said that students could join Hindi-medium schools, but they preferred Telugu medium schools due to proximity, as well as to blend in with the locals.

“We do not deny admission to any student. There are many who have joined after Class 7 and 8, but they face difficulties coping with the Telugu language. We teach them the basics and there are bridge courses for Telugu as well. A few teachers try teaching them in English and Hindi, but that is rare,” said M. Nayak, the headmaster of a primary government school in Manikonda.

Nayak said that in his school, 40 per cent of the students are from Telangana and 30 per cent from Andhra Pradesh, while the rest are from Bihar, Gujarat and Odisha.

However, teachers said that Hindi speakers who joined their schools from class 1 are now fluent in speaking and reading/writing Telugu.

Spandana Choudhary, the headmaster of a government school in Medak, said that the best performers in her school are students from Bihar and Odisha, who joined from primary classes.

“When students walk in from other states, we make sure they submit a proper TC before we enrol them. However, we are letting that go for students up to class 8 as they belong to poor backgrounds. Some of these students really want to blend in and learn the Telugu language,” she said.