KARACHI, March 22: The Sindh education and literacy department has declared it mandatory for the public and private schools to teach English as additional compulsory subject to students from Class I.

In view of the absence of any uniformity on the teaching of English as subject from class I, the department has announced that the decision would be strictly followed by all educational institutions from academic session 2005-2006, ie from Aug 1.

The department has also notified that the subjects of Mathematics and Science-biology, chemistry and physics-shall also be taught in English from Class VIII onwards. If students, who are already studying the subjects in question in Urdu or Sindhi, can be taught and tested in English as well, if they desired so, said a senior official of the education department.