English classes for AP govt school students

Nellore: English continues to be a foreign language for students of several government schools in the district as majority of students have got poor communication skills in the language.

Not only students but teachers too were found to be poor in English language when a proficiency test was conducted by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) for teachers of model primary schools last year.

Consequently, the district administration is now planning to conduct English classes for students to improve their skills keeping in view future academic examinations.

So, the District Education department is planning to organise summer classes for students of all government schools, who have been facing difficulties in understanding English. Officials are preparing to set up five centres in city municipal limits.

They are also considering setting up another 75 coaching centres in all 46 mandals in the district. The authorities concerned are also seeking help from efficient teachers, who will voluntarily come forward and teach the language to the students as the government has no specific budget for the activity.

A senior headmistress from Kovur mandal said there has been no focus on English teaching in rural schools due to poor understanding levels of students.

Even if they try to teach the subject parents warn the teachers to be pupil-friendly, supporting it with Telugu translation. In such conditions, how can the standards of students improve, she enquired.