Srinagar: The National Child Development Council (NCDC) has demanded English speaking course as mandatory subject in all the government schools of the country.
In a statement issued on Monday the NCDC members said: “English is a language which has a universal appeal and is also considered to be the most widely spoken language in the world.”
They further said that English speaking in particular is perceived to be very important for employment in today’s times, while it is seen that people who have high degrees with them are unable to crack a job interview because of their inability to express themselves in English.
“It is time that the Government takes into consideration the opinion of its own appointed panels that have suggested that English should be made compulsory in all schools, and every student from class 6th onwards should study English as a compulsory subject,” members said, adding that there are reports regarding suggestion that at least one English language school should exist in every block of the country.
The NCDC suggested that government must also direct schools to even consider providing additional time to English teachers so that they can focus on developing communication skills of students.
“It is imperative that Government takes this issue with utmost gravity as this will not only help students improve their English, but it would also help in improving the image of Government Schools. One of the major reasons for parents preferring private schools over Govt. Schools is the emphasis they give to English speaking per se,” the statement reads.
It further reads that, “the Government can also consider taking assistance of NGOs that have innovative ideas to make children communicate in English. There is no doubt that the traditional teaching methodologies adopted by many government school teachers will not improve the English communication skills of children.”
The BOARD MEMBERS of NCDC, who passed resolution were, Arathi I S (Resolution representative), Risvan Baba Alexander, Sudha Menon, Bindu Saraswathibhai, Dr Sruthi Ganesh, & Thomas K L.
It was that resolved English speaking should be made mandatory in all the Government schools of the country.
