Welcoming Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s decision to introduce Telugu as a compulsory subject from Class One to Intermediate, Lok Nayak Foundation Chairman and former MP Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad wanted the implementation to be taken up seriously keeping past experience in view.
At a press conference here on Monday, he expressed apprehensions over private school managements creating hurdles recalling the virtual non-implementation of GOs issued 10 years ago on Telugu being a compulsory subject from Classes One to Ten and nameplates of all shops and establishments to be displayed in Telugu.
The Chief Minister appeared to be sincere in the implementation as he had formed a committee for the promotion of Telugu, he said. Besides, the orders on making Telugu compulsory should be issued preempting any likely move to contest it, he said.
Taking the development as a positive sign, the North Andhra Telugu writers conference called “Samarabheri” to press for teaching of Telugu as a compulsory subject up to graduation scheduled for September 20 was being put off by three months, Dr. Lakshmi Prasad said.
The State Government should come out with a road map for implementing the GOs including framing the syllabus for making Telugu compulsory from the next academic year in the interregnum, he demanded.
Prof. Chandu Subba Rao wanted the Government to be firm in overcoming the tactics of private schools to avoid teaching Telugu.
Secretary of literary organisation Mosaic Ramateertha wanted incentives for to be announced for pursuing study of Telugu as a subject. The three expressed concern over the sorry state of Telugu compared to the primacy mother tongue was getting in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
