In India, English is seen not only to be the key to economic prosperity, but for the social status as well. Parents, especially those belonging to the upper and middle classes, expect their children to get the best type of education; and they feel that it is possible only through English medium education right from the primary stage. There has been a growing demand for English medium education in the country; and this has resulted in mushrooming of English medium schools, particularly at primary and upper-primary levels under private sector. English Medium Education in primary schools has become very expensive for people belonging to middle and lower-middle classes. To combat this situation, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has started recently English medium sections in Government schools for the benefit of the public, particularly for people living below the poverty line. The present study is an attempt to explore the perceptions of teachers towards English medium instruction in primary schools. The researchers used a well-developed questionnaire to collect data from a sample of 120 teachers from 40 selected primary schools located in Visakhapatnam District of Andhra Pradesh using Stratified Random Sampling technique. The data were analyzed using inferential statistics. The findings of the study revealed that the demographic variables – Gender, Age and Location of the institution have no influence on the perceptions of teachers towards English medium instruction in primary schools. The study suggested that the Government should organize Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs) for teachers working in primary schools in order to equip them with the necessary skills and competencies to teach the young children through the medium of English. Further, the study suggested that the schools should provide necessary audio-visual equipment for students to have a concrete understanding of the subjects taught through the medium of English.

Perceptions, Primary School Teachers, English medium Education, Career opportunities