PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education (E&SE) Department is yet to introduce English as medium of instruction for mathematics and science subjects from grade-6 onwards in government schools though it had taken the decision to this effect one and a half years ago.

Sources said that the introduction of English as medium of instruction from grade-6 was aimed at preparing students to smoothly continue their science education in the higher classes.

A notification to this effect was issued on January 30, 2012 and according to it the decision should have been implemented in the government schools with the start of academic year 2012-13, the sources said.

However, teachers of government schools in Peshawar told Dawn that the government had not provided English medium books to the schools and they continued to teach the science subjects in Urdu.

When contacted, a prominent educationist wishing anonymity praised the previous government’s decision, but questioned who would teach mathematics and science subjects in English in government schools.

“I think the government school teachers can not teach in English because they have no such experience,” he said and added that it would be a disaster for the students if English was made medium of instruction without imparting proper training to the teachers.

Wishing anonymity, a principal of a government higher secondary school told Dawn that English as medium of instruction for all science subjects should have been introduced much earlier, which would have enabled the students of government schools to compete with that of private schools. He said that students of government schools were mostly from a poor background and couldn’t afford private school fee, so if English was made the medium of instruction such students would not be considered inferior.

He said that the subject matter of science books being taught in Urdu was actually translated from English. The science students qualifying the secondary examinations start getting education in English from intermediate level in continuation of their previous education in Urdu.

For instance, at matric level the government school students learn a word ‘Khulia’, but after promotion to college they would use the English alternative ‘cell” for the same thing. So during the lecture at college level, the same students tends to translate many words in their minds into English due to which they miss many things and get puzzled at the end of the lecture.

He said that the scientists had explained every topic in English with a particular taste and flow, which was virtually lost when translated to another language. Such things become hard to understand, he said. He said that English language had more market value compared to Urdu because all the research and modern education had been documented in English.

With the change of medium of instruction, conceptual clarity of the students would be initiated from the early stage, said an educationist serving on a senior position in the education department. He, however, said that the students of intermediate classes would have no English problem in higher classes. Directorate of Curriculum and Teachers Education (DCTE) director Bashir Hussain Shah, when contacted, said that without prior training of teachers, English as medium of instruction for science subjects could not be introduced. “Medium of instruction will be changed after imparting proper training to the relevant teachers,” he said.

Asked when the teachers training will start, he said that the DCTE had completed all arrangements of funds and support materials for teachers training.

“Let’s see what the new provincial government decides about it,” he said. Mr Shah said that the training would be started when they would get go-ahead from the government in this regard.