English Medium Instruction in Odisha Adarsha Vidyalayas: Policies, Practices, and Promise of Quality Education

Abstract

The implementation of English Medium Instruction (EMI) by Odisha Adarsha Vidyalayas (OAVs) aimed to bridge the educational divide and provide underprivileged and rural populations access to high-quality education. In this paper, the author argues that despite its policy driven promises of socioeconomic mobility, English medium education frequently aggravates the pre-existing educational disparities. EMI’s official policy and its actual implementation on the ground are examined in this study through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, classroom observations and student outcome analysis from OAVs in the districts of Mayurbhanj and Cuttack in the state of Odisha. The statistics show that, despite being taught in English, children commonly experience linguistic estrangement, with teachers resorting to ‘unofficial’ bilingual approaches to improve comprehension. The technique has proven to be substantially more effective in aiding student learning despite its informality. Through this study, it is argued that the current EMI approach, which encourages instruction in English-only, needs to be re-evaluated. It makes the case for the official integration of bilingual resources assessments and multilingual pedagogies in order to better match students’ linguistic realities and attain more equitable learning outcomes. To fully realise EMI’s potential in promoting social justice and educational equity in India, the study suggests that policy must change toward a more inclusive multilingual approach.