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Hindustan Times
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Karnataka plans 180-hour spoken English classes in government schools starting this year: Report
Karnataka's Department of School Education and Literacy is gearing up to launch dedicated spoken English classes for government school students in the upcoming academic year, Times of India reported. This comes after a stalled rollout last year. The earlier plan, announced in 2023, aimed to conduct spoken English sessions over weekends in select government schools. Although master trainers had been trained by the Regional Institute of English, the program never materialized due to poor execution and lack of follow-through, the report added. This time, the department is taking a more structured approach. Officials are proposing 180 hours of spoken English instruction over the school year, the report further added. Approximately 1,000 schools, including Karnataka Public Schools, will be selected based on student strength. To support implementation, the government also plans to recruit guest teachers specifically for this program. (Also Read: 'Kannada is a beautiful language': California Burrito founder has an advice to those moving to Karnataka) According to the TOI report, the upcoming modules will focus on real-world communication, beginning with simple vocabulary-building exercises like naming objects, people, and places, before progressing to sentence construction. Later stages will introduce functional English, such as how to ask questions, seek directions, or request help. Higher levels will incorporate storytelling, arts, cultural discussions, and personal experiences to make learning more engaging. Teachers will also be encouraged to create classroom scenarios that demand active student participation. The spoken English initiative will also be complemented by 'Ek Step', an AI-powered digital learning tool announced in the state budget, designed to make language acquisition interactive and tech-friendly. Meanwhile, the popularity of English-medium instruction in government schools continues to surge. At present, 4,190 schools offer English-medium sections. In response to growing demand, the government has committed to adding another 4,000 such schools, as announced in last year's budget. (Also Read: Karnataka Home Minister blames BJP for Siddaramaiah's gesture towards police officer)
Time of India
27-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Govt school students to learn Spoken English from this year
Bengaluru: After a failed start last year, spoken English classes for govt schoolchildren in Karnataka will be launched this year with Department of School Education and Literacy drawing up a comprehensive plan with better resources. Spoken English classes were to be launched over weekends last year in select govt schools. Even though Regional Institute of English conducted a state-level training for master trainers, the programme never took off. Now, the department is contemplating having 180 hours of teaching in an academic year. Around 1,000 schools, based on student strength, are likely to be selected for the programme, which will cover Karnataka Public Schools too. It plans to recruit one guest teacher to handle spoken English classes. "In regular English classes, we are obsessed with exams and completing the portion. Teaching gets restricted to the prescribed content. Also, there is no environment where they can speak in English class. At least if teachers conduct their classroom instruction in English for at least 40 minutes, it could lead to a natural conversation, giving some exposure to the natural bit of English speaking," said an academician. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Seoul-teukbyeolsi: AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Aroun... Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo "Teachers have to create situations to design activities in the classroom. We need language functions like how to introduce oneself, how to ask questions, among others," he added. Most spoken English modules start with very simple activities where students name objects, places, and people and later build sentences based on those pictures. Language functions like questioning skills in English, simple conversations in English, like making inquiries, asking for information, directions or help. In higher levels, there will be activities based on art and craft, culture, festivals, and life experiences as well. The modules are yet to be fleshed out. 'Ek Step' announced in the budget with AI-powered language learning is also being launched. English-medium sections of govt schools have become extremely popular with the masses, encouraging the govt to announce more such sections. Around 4,190 schools currently have English-medium sections. The govt announced another 4,000 such schools in the previous budget. MSID:: 120647159 413 |
