Any section of citizens residing in any
territory of India or any part thereof having
a distinct language, script or culture of its
own shall have the right to conserve the same.
This protection extends to its right to
administer its own schools where the
community's Christian heritage is fostered and
the English mother tongue is reinforced
through its use as the medium of instruction.
and
All minorities, whether based on religion or
language, shall have the right to establish
and administer educational institutions of
their choice. (4)
The definition of the Anglo-Indian and the two Articles in
the Indian Constitution protect the Anglo-Indian schools
and guarantees their survival in India as schools for the
education of the Anglo-Indians. However, the present system
of Anglo-Indian education is a British legacy. The schools
remain private and elitist: while some still bear a
resemblance to the public schools in Britain.
These minority schools still exist, in theory, for the
benefit and education of the community. They are a mixture
of day schools and residential schools. These schools are
much sought after by wealthy and influential non Anglo-
Indian Indians, who want their children to acquire fluency
in English. Yet, they are also schools which appear to
fail the very children that they were set up to help.
In 1990, during the field research, an Anglo-Indian teacher
commented about Anglo-Indian students in his school.
Out of every twenty Anglo-Indians only one
manages to complete twelve years of schooling.
The reason lies in the language problem.
33