Just 44% Class 1 kids know English alphabets

TNN, 16 January 2010, Times of India

NEW DELHI: The scare raised by the Supreme Court on Thursday about China being poised to overtake India in English proficiency is about to come  true. The annual audit by Pratham, a well-known education NGO, reported on Friday that the ability to read and comprehend English varied wildly across India and only 43.8% of class I kids could read the alphabets, even in big capital letters.

It's worse than the average in many states. Gujarat is the worst with barely 25.3% class 1 children able to read capital letters. Bihar, Orissa, Assam and Jharkhand are only marginally better at 33.4%, 34.5%, 36% and 41.8%, respectively. In the south, Karnataka, despite its hi-tech glitter, scores just as bad only 37% of class I kids could pass the simple English test. 

In short, the much-touted advantage that India enjoys over China because of its knowledge of English, could vanish pretty soon unless there is all-round recognition of the looming crisis. Education

experts say that unless English is made compulsory in school, India might be in an irreversible slide.
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