By IANS
Agra : Children in all government schools in Uttar Pradesh are now compulsorily learning English – a move aimed at increasing their employment potential.
The government of Chief Minister Mayawati has ordered that English be taught as a language right from Class 2 at all state-run schools. The language had been almost banished by earlier governments.
All other subjects in the government schools would still be taught in Hindi.
“The level of English language has gone down in the state, reducing the job-hunting capacity of the students,” an official of the basic education department said.
The government has also directed the department to ensure that students from Class 6 upwards listen to English radio news bulletins and read English newspapers.
Teachers have been told to train students to speak in English before the whole class. During English language class, students should be encouraged to speak and converse only in English, the official said.
The department, through its initiatives, hopes that government school students will come up at par with children studying in English medium schools, an education department official said here.
Schools would soon have a separate room for English language teaching equipped with necessary aids like newspapers, radio, tape recorders and CD players.
“The walls will have names of household consumption goods painted on them with pictures,” the official explained.
“The introduction of English is part of the central government’s Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. The books have been published by central agencies for Class 2 and Class 3 and they are really good,” said social activist Roller Singh.
But Subhash Jha, a development functionary in Pinahat region near river Chambal, says the “real problem” is getting good English teachers.
Parents have for long been demanding that their children be taught English because growing job opportunities in the retail sector require good command over the language, said Hari Dutt Sharma, editor of School Prangan, a magazine for school children.
“The state government wants children from poor families studying in resource- starved government schools to be as good as convent school kids. But the non-existent facilities are proving to be a handicap,” Sharma added.