KOCHI: When he was in Class IV, N Suliman's classes were cut short. He couldn't continue his education. At 53, he works as a headload worker, but he is finally chasing his dream to continue his education. Having almost completed the Class XII equivalency course offered by the Kerala State Literacy Mission (KSLM), Suliman is learning the nuances of the English language. Now he doesn't bounce back and forth between the past, present and future tenses.
"Earlier I wasn't familiar with tenses and their purpose. I never miss a class now, and I have found that these classes help a great deal," says Suliman waxing eloquent about the 'Good English' certificate course he has joined. He is part of the 30=odd learners who shuffle into SMV Government Model Higher Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram to learn the basics of English.
For learners like Sulaiman, the KSLM language certificate courses have become the right platform to learn and flourish. "I am more confident of the language. I can write better. I failed in the Class XII equivalency exam. I intend to write the exam again and get the degree," says Suliman.
The KSLM had pioneered three certificate courses for who were not proficient. The language courses 'Good English', 'Achi Hindi' and 'Pacha Malayalam' teach English, Hindi and Malayalam to the learners, imparting spoken and communication skills. The language course has become a major hit with learners enrolling in large numbers for the course. In the capital, as many as 2,146 learners have registered for the certificate courses. "Around 11 block panchayats have taken it upon themselves to offer the language course in the capital. Our team is involved in teaching, but the block panchayats have taken it as a project under them and classes in all these languages are provided free," says a KSLM official.
At present, as many as 9,820 learners are studying under the certificate courses in the state. The first batch was started in 2018 and saw a registration of 2018 learners. A total of 6,020 learners are taking the 'Good English' course, while the 'Pacha Malayalam' and 'Achi Hindi' courses have 2,200 and 1,600 students. In the capital, 1,114 students have registered for 'Good English', 620 for 'Pacha Malayalam' and 412 for 'Achi Hindi'. "The number of learners enrolled for these classes in Ernakulam is less. There are three centres in Ernakulam, two for English and one for Malayalam. There is no enrollment for Hindi language course in Ernakulam," said a KSLM official.