Englishagrah in the land of Satyagrah

Bardoli, the karmbhoomi of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is witnessing a new kind of revolution. This time, the struggle is not against British oppression but against poor knowledge of the English language.

The US-based Nanubhai Nayak Education Foundation (NNEF), which works to improve standards of English language and technical education among tribal students in south Gujarat, has invited 10 American teachers to teach English at three different schools in the region.

Last year, too, the foundation had invited four Americans to teach students at Kadod High School, Bardoli. Two of the four teachers, who were of Indian origin, had returned to the US once their internship was over, but the others decided to stay back and continue their work here.

The 10 American teachers the NNEF has invited this year would be teaching not only at Kadod High School, Bardoli, but also at three other schools in Madhi, Bajipura and Surat, respectively.

“This year, we have invited 10 teachers and will cover three more schools,” said US-based Raj Shah, founder of NNEF. “The aim is to enhance the English language skills of students.” Shah hails from Kadod village but is now settled in the US. He said that, very often, poor knowledge of the English language proves to be the biggest obstacle in the way of youths keen to go to the US. A large number of people from Bardoli migrate to foreign shores every year, particularly to the US.

NNEF has been founded by some NRGs, all of whom are former students of Kadod High School. The foundation is named after the school’s former principal, Nanubhai Nayak, who still lives in Bardoli. “It’s not only about improving language skills. We are also committed to providing basic infrastructure in the schools of the region so that they can turn out bright professionals in the future,” Shah said.

When told that there was no dearth of English language teachers in the region, Shah said, “We are not concentrating only on how to speak English. We want students to learn the language properly, including nuances of meaning and usage. For this, American teachers are the best.”

Commenting on the trend, Sadan Jha, associate professor at Centre for Social Studies, Surat, said, “This may be interpreted as an instance of the flow of human capital from the first world to the third world, but what remains unchanged is the desire of the people of the region to move to developed countries for a better future.”