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Basu's men try blackmail to halt English education

The ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist in West Bengal, it would appear, is ready to go any length to stop the reintroduction of English in primary schools.

Even blackmail.

And this, while Chief Minister Jyoti Basu claims that the foreign language would be introduced in the 1999-2000 session!

The blackmailing episode comes to light following a notice sent by district primary school councils, all dominated by the CPI-M, to several schools run by the Ramakrishna Mission. It held the threat that unless the schools put a stop to English education at the primary level, the monastic headmasters would be replaced with state officials.

The notice, despatched in the last few months, charged the schools with 'disregarding the state education policy', even after receiving State-funding for teachers's salaries.

Educationists, however, say that the notice is against the 1971 government statutes, framed for the smooth functioning of mission schools -- these allow such schools to teach English from class 1. Moreover, it gives missions the right to select text books, appoint teachers and, even, introduce any additional course they think fit.

The statutes also lay down that the schools would receive funds for salaries whether they confirmed to the state policy on syllabus, funds and teachers's recruitment. On the other hand, other schools receiving funds were to be bound by the state policy.

The CPI-M's armtwisting tactics were revealed when, on March 19, the North 24-Parangas council asked the Baranagar school management to stop teaching English in primary classes. To force the decision on the authorities, the council stopped salaries, and threatened that the headmasters of Baranagar and Rahara schools would be removed.

"We will retain both English and the monastic heads," said Swami Bhupeshananda, principal of the primary section of the Baranagar Ramakrishna Mission school, "We will see what they can do to us."

Though the Mission is standing strong in Baranagar, it buckled under CPI-M pressure in Bankura and Midnapore, changing headmasters and stopping English teaching for primary kids there.

Other missions schools, for their part, fear they would also be asked to stop English education. And they, unlike the Ramakrishna schools, would have to fall in line immediately as they cannot survive without government funds.

The Ramakrishna authorities, meanwhile, say they will not back down.

"The functioning of our schools is based on certain ideals. We cannot jettison these to please a government department. We would urge them to understand our ideals," they said, adding, "We will fight till the end."

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