The English Cell, at Samagra Shikshana Karnataka, was created to garner the English language skills development needs of children pursuing their education in Government Schools in Karnataka. The learning of English at school is best approached as a focused harnessing of the natural human ability to learn languages, given an environment of meaningful exposure to them. The curricular challenge is to find ways of approximating the language learning opportunities of the classroom to those of naturally supportive language learning environments. Happily, this integrative thrust in the policy for English coheres with the larger vision in the NCF of integrating the life of the child within and outside school.
During the Academic Year 2018-19, the Karnataka State Government initiated to bring in English Medium Schools at the Primary Level, in the Government run schools across the state. There was a need to develop the English language skills and to strengthen the teaching capacities of the teachers, who would engage themselves in transacting in English medium schools. In this backdrop the English Cell was created at the Office of the State Project Director, Samagra Shikshana – Karnataka, Bengaluru. One Programme Officer of the Samagra Shikshana Karnataka office was appointed to carry out the activities of the Cell, under the guidance of the Joint Director of the same office. Initially the English Cell took up the following tasks as its activities –
- Identify the 1000 Primary Schools for English Medium
- Identify the Master Resource Persons to train the English Medium Teachers
- Identify the Teachers who would voluntary to teach in English Medium Schools
- Train the teachers of Adharsha Vidyalaya and Nali-Kali
- Prepare Training Module for the English Medium Schools Teachers
- Supervise the implementation of activities/programmes in the English Medium Schools
Teachers and learners must evolve for their own classrooms a balance between ‘prescribed’ texts and learner-chosen texts from class libraries with print or audio-visual materials (Big Books, multilingual books, Reading Cards, learner magazines/newspaper columns, edutainment programmes). The language environment of disadvantaged learners can be enriched by developing schools into community learning centres. Within the school system, the Kendriya Vidyalayas, or Central Schools, have emerged as successful models of bilingual (English-Hindi) school education.
The Bilingual Medium Section in Karnataka sets itself the objective of offering a bilingual education, so that excellence is accompanied by a high level of innovation which is tied to awareness of the cultural heritage and the values that belong to the State. The aim of the Bilingual Medium Section is to provide the boys and girls the competitive advantage of Kannada/English bilingualism, irrespective of the family environment they come from.
Mastery of written and spoken English which is typical of any English Medium school and the knowledge of written and spoken Kannada that is identical to that of their peers who attend Kannada Medium Classes. Modules for training the teachers to transact successfully in English have been developed by a group of experts from RIESI and Azim Premji University. All teachers selected for English Medium Sections were trained by the faculty from Regional Institute of English, South India, Bengaluru.
As per Government Order No. ED 109 Yo Yo Ka 2018 Bangalore, dated 26-10-2018, in existing 1000 Government Primary Schools additional English sections was sanctioned. The English Medium Section was started in 1001 already existing Kannada Medium Schools, during the Academic year 2019-20. The teachers were trained with regard to their interaction in the English Medium Sections at RIESI, Bangalore. The teachers were also equipped with the teaching – learning materials. And the teachers were mentored by the BRPs/CRPs at the District level. As there was a demand for English Medium section from across the State, there was a proposal to grant English Medium section to additional 1000 existing Kannada Medium Schools. This was materialized as per the Government Order No. ED 109 Yo Yo Ka 2018 Bangalore, dated 18-15-2019. Again EMTIP (English Medium Teachers Induction Programme) training was held for the teachers of additional English Medium sections at RIESI, Bangalore. Along with the above, English Medium sections were also started in the existing 400 Urdu Medium Primary Schools, as per the Government Order No. ED 66 PGC 2020, dated 14-09-2020, across the State, during the academic year 2020-21.
An additional Bi-lingual section was sanctioned in the following years, the details of the same is as below:
- 2019-20 – 1001 Schools
- 2020-21 – 1003 Schools
- 2020-21 – 400 Urdu Medium Schools
- 2024-25 – 1792 Schools
- Total – 4196 Schools
The schools with Bilingual Medium Sections have been provided with necessary TLMs which will help improve the capacity/proficiency of teachers and help them develop the skills of language and achieve the learning outcomes of the subjects in their classrooms. To provide a vibrant and learning ambience for the children, the classrooms have been painted to enhance learning. The class rooms are provided with small story books, simple picture and reading material for level-1 and level-2 students. The alarming analysis of the Baseline Survey conducted for children, stressed the need for a learning recovery plan for the children.
The Kalika Cheterike is a learning recovery programme which mandates the development of FLN skills for the beginning 3 months. Then the development of the LOs identified as core essentials of the previous two years and then the current year are the core essential LOs in the third quarter of the Kalika Chetarika. This was a welcome change to students and teachers alike as the content load of subjects had reduced with an advocacy on activity-based learning.
The English Cell in the year 2022-23 has planned and organized teacher capacity building activities like,
- A Spoken English Course was designed by RIESI, for the children of KPS in order to develop the speaking skill among the children,. The course is classified under 3 levels- Classes 1 to 3, 4 to 6, Classes 7 and 8. 132 MRPs were trained at RIESI, Bangalore. The entire training was conducted from October 2022 to December 2022. Further, it is planned to administer the Spoken English Training to the teachers of KPSs at the District level in a cascading mode, before implementation in the schools as a pilot in the year 2023-24.
- The US Consulate General in Chennai has collaborated with the Government of Karnataka to implement the Blended TESOL (Teaching English to the Speakers of Other Language). This programme was launched on 9th February 2022 with 50 participants from across the State. The programme was conducted in 3 phases. Phase 1 was held in virtual mode during February 2022 and March 2022, the phase 2 was conducted face to face during May 2022 and the third phase was practicum which was held in July 2022.
- In collaboration with the ‘The Teacher Foundation’, 2000 teachers across the State were trained in virtual mode under the title “English Encounters”, where the training spanned for 20 sessions from September 2022 to February 2023. This training aimed at Blended Professional Development for Government School Teachers. 753 teachers actively participated in this programme.
- EMTIP (English Medium Teachers Induction Programme) training was conducted for the teachers of additional English Medium sections at RIESI, Bangalore. This Training was commenced from 2019-20 for Class I teachers and consequently the same was continued up to 2022-23 for Class IV teachers.
- An MoU was signed with Step up for India Organisation, where the following programmes were undertaken:
- REAP: Remedial English Accelerated Programme which enables students that requires additional support reach their grade level competency in English in about 70 sessions of an hour each.
- PEP: Primary English Progress is designed to capitalize on the skills of volunteers committed to teaching in Government Schools.
- TEP: Teacher Empowerment Programme is designed to support teachers who teach Classes 3 to 7 in remote rural areas and who are denied of immediate support while teaching English.
- K-GET Videos: Karnataka Government English Textbook Videos, an additional support provided to the students of Classes 3 to 7.
- In association with Dream a Dream organization, the department ventured to imbibe Value Education among the students. Initially Bangalore South Educational District was piloted, where a 1-Day Workshop was held for the teachers during the month of February 2023. This workshop focused on deepening understanding of the impact of adversity, experience the life skills approach to create supportive teachers community for children; looking at ways to explore and expand our creative potential; experience an gain an understanding of Life Skills and learn some basic, foundational tools on child management and building safe learning environments.
