The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Shortage of English teachers is the bane

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Friday, Nov 03, 2006
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Shortage of English teachers is the bane

R. Ravikanth Reddy

HYDERABAD: Even as the State Government is keen on introducing English as a subject from the primary school level, there is a big dearth of English language teachers, making the move a non-starter from the word go. Worse, the Government also failed to utilise Central Government schemes that could create a vast pool of English language teachers.

Call it lethargy or callousness, the State Government unlike in other States has so far failed to establish an English Language Training Institute (ELTI), which is financially supported by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

No ELTI

Interestingly, city-based Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (CIEFL) monitors the activities of ELTIs in the entire country but there is no ELTI in the State!

The State Education Department has to write to CIEFL for establishment of an ELTI with an undertaking to provide necessary infrastructure and once it comes into existence the funds come from the Languages Division of the Ministry of HRD. Sources said though the School Education Department had applied for an ELTI, the absence of necessary follow-up by the authorities relegated the proposal to the backburner.

The ELTI concept, a brainchild of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was started in 1985 to train secondary school English teachers, assist materials production and help teachers in research projects. The Central Government also provides 50 per cent of finances to set up the institute.

In the absence of an ELTI, training is conducted by the Regional Institute of English (RIE) at Bangalore, which caters to the needs of the southern States. Neither State Council nor the School Education Department has taken serious note of it.

"The State is losing out an opportunity to train teachers purely because of its callousness," said an official. "The recent announcement by the Government to introduce English from first standard is welcome but the effort will go in vain in the absence of good teachers.

An ELTI can go a long way in fulfilling the Government's efforts to improve English -speaking standards at the school level itself."

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