To help students in the government-run schools improve their English language skills, the School Education Department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Hindu Group’s STEP (Standardised Test of English Proficiency), an English language testing, training and certification programme.
It involves technology-enabled English language assessment and training programmes for students, teachers and youth,” said Pundi Sriram, Chief Product Officer, The Hindu Group and Business Head, STEP, after signing of the memorandum with the Director of the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) B. Pratap Reddy at the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan office here on Friday.
Commissioner, School Education, S. Suresh Kumar, said the initiative that aimed to train teachers of government schools in English language skills, should be made sustainable for effective outcome.
Speaking on STEP, Mr. Sriram said measurable impact on language proficiency would be evident as “we teach English as a skill and not as a subject”. It assesses the proficiency levels across listening, reading, writing and speaking skills, he explained.
STEP comprises a 70-hour training programme — 30 hours in offline mode in the form of a four-day workshop and 40 hours of online coaching. The training, launched on August 23, will conclude in mid-September and it will be attended by 40 teachers from each of the five districts of Chittoor, Nellore, Prakasam, West Godavari and Srikakulam.
“These master trainers would further impart the skills in their respective areas,” he said.
The STEP initiative has also been launched to train students of P.B. Siddhartha College of Arts and Science and Sri Durga Malleswara Siddhartha Mahila Kalasala.
The college managements signed a pact with The Hindu Group on Friday on the initiative for a 50-hour online training programme for students in the third semester. It is a placement-focused initiative to help students become job-ready, preparing them well for interviews and equipping them with email etiquette and presentation skills,” said Mr. Sriram.
Principals of P.B. Siddhartha Arts College and Siddhartha Mahila Kalasala M. Ramesh and Kalpana respectively and directors of the two colleges, V. Babu Rao and Vijaya Lakshmi and heads of the English Department, Senior Divisional General Manager, The Hindu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha G. Srinivasa Rao were present on the occasion.
