Page 9 - ELG2003 Mar Issue 469

El•Gazette 469.qxp_El•Gazette 469 25/02/2020 21:50 Page 9

NEWS

The teacher was ordered not to
KOREA: leave the country as Sejong police
A Canadian English language prepared a child abuse case. RON RAGSDALE
teacher in Korea faced child abuse
charges after showing her class a
video entitled “What does human INDIA:
flesh taste like?” The northern Indian state of
The BBC Earth Lab video from Andhra Pradesh has carried out a
2016 emphasises that eating consultation with parents on
human flesh is illegal. It features whether they want their children
journalist Greg Fort and a to be educated in English-medium
scientist who allowed a small or in Telugu, the official state
sample of flesh from his thigh to language. The Parents Committee
be “cooked”. On camera, Fort of every government school was
describes the “aroma” as “richer convened, with parents given a
than pork or chicken”. form and asked to tick either the
The unnamed teachers’ lawyer “Need English Medium” or “Want
told the South China Morning Post Telugu Medium” box. The data
their client had found the will be forwarded to the Zonal
YouTube clip online after a Education Boards, which will
question from a student, and she’d report to district education Schoolchildren in Andhra Pradesh, India
had no intention of shocking her commissioners.
class of students aged six and up in The move follows the Andhra The plan requires 68,000 of the move. The production of
the city of Sejong. Pradesh government’s announce- teachers to be trained in teaching English-medium textbooks has
CCTV footage of the class ment in December that it would in English, and the translation of been halted following a case
showed students burying their switch from Telugu-medium to all the current state Telugu- brought by Sudesh Rambhotla,
heads in their hands to avoid English-medium “overnight,” medium textbooks. the leader of the state’s Hindu
seeing the video. A police detec- starting with teaching Mathemat- Implementation of the plan is nationalist BJP party A court
tive told SCMP that after parents ics, Science and History in Eng- subject to a state High Court decision on whether printing of
“complained strongly… We’re lish in grades 1 through 6. The decision, after Telugu-language the English textbooks can go
helping the children receive treat- switch will occur in 45,000 gov- advocacy groups brought several ahead was expected shortly after
ment for post-traumatic stress.” ernment elementary schools. court cases contesting the legality we went to press.

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