One mn schoolkids learn English in digitised way

The Right to Reading (RTR) initiative across eight Indian states has revolutionised the way English is being taught for nearly one million children in government-funded schools.

These states include Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Punjab and West Bengal. In 2014, RTR was implemented as a pilot project in the Aurangabad, Jalna and Beed districts of Maharashtra. Seeing its enormous popularity with the schoolchildren, the program was subsequently extended to other parts of the country as well.

RTR has ingenuously developed an English learning software called Right-To-Me(RTM) presently being used in over 5,000 schools where English textbooks have been digitised and where kids sit in state-of-the-art computer labs to learn how to master this language.

The technique by which they are taught is simple but effective. Surrounded by 12 computers per lab, these kids listen to a voice with an Indian accent read out a lesson from their textbook. Every word spoken out is displayed on a large screen. The classroom teacher will stop this 'voice' at regular intervals to check and make sure the children understand the meaning of the words in this lesson. To do so, the teacher clicks on the picture dictionary where two stick figures appear to give an illustrated meaning of the word while the English word is also explained in the vernacular language.

Boys and girls from Class 5 and 6 of Shrikrishna Khanka Vidyalaya, a government-aided school, located in Badlapur, outskirts of Mumbai, participate very enthusiastically in the learning process as their English teacher Mansi Redkar, teaches them a story from their textbook, The Man Who Never Lied.

Even though the scheme is six weeks old, the students raise their hands and reply to all her queries. When asked why the students make a beeline for this class, 11-year-old Kunal Ingle of Class 6 says, "Pictures make the words come alive. In the classroom, our teacher teaches the entire lesson at one go but here, if we do not understand, the picture dictionary is repeated again and again."

According to 10-year-old Neha Jadhav of Class 5 said, "Because the teacher explains the meaning of the word in Marathi, we learn much faster. We are also taught to pronounce every word."

Children in these schools pay no fees and they are also provided free books and uniforms. For them learning English is important because later in life, it will improve their job prospects. Familiarity with the language has helped improve their computer skills.

Kids of Class 5 and 6 in the co-educational Nakhwa High School in Thane East are equally enthusiastic as they sit on the floor while their English teacher Laxmikant Mulay teaches them the lesson titled The Magic Herb. He gives four of these English classes a week and the software provides word-to-word learning, helping with pronunciation and providing illustrated meanings.

Shankar Singh overseeing the English Helper program for the state of Maharashtra said, "Initially, we faced some resistance from the teachers but once they received special training, they have become comfortable with the software."

Young Kanchan Ahiri from Nakhwa High School said she understood words such as 'merchant' and 'innkeeper' from this story once she had read the Marathi translation.
'It becomes easier!' she shared with a happy smile.

Global touch

The digitised classroom material has been introduced by the American India Foundation (with help from USAID), English Helper, which is a global company providing technology-enabled solutions to teach English, Confederation of Indian Industries, Bodhi Sikhsa Samiti in partnership with IL&FS Foundation.