NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Monday launched an English teaching programme for 700 pre-service teachers in association with the US Embassy. The teaching programme was launched jointly by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Minister Counselor for Public Affairs David H Kennedy for the pre-service teachers from nine all-woman colleges.
The inaugural event also saw the presence of senior officials from the Education Department of Delhi government and dignitaries from the US Embassy. The programme will have online courses on ‘Teaching English for 21st century’ and ‘Content-Language Integrated Learning Skills’. Twenty US Department of State-funded Virtual English Language Fellows would lead the ten-week online courses until April 12, 2021, said government officials.
The officials said the courses are designed to address some of the objectives outlined in India’s new National Education Policy (NEP) and will help the beneficiary teachers teach English as well as teach in that language.
The language courses will promote reflective and learner-centred pedagogy as mandated in the NEP, and will enhance teachers’ abilities to support the development of students’ English language proficiency in all subject areas, as well as their critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and other 21st- century skills, among others.
“This new initiative will also incorporate hands-on experience with new classroom technologies, supporting teachers in addressing some of the pandemic-related challenges they currently face. Graduates will use the skills they learn in the programme to benefit tens of thousands of students over the course of their career,” said the government officials.
Regional English Language Office of the US Embassy has already trained around 800 teachers from Delhi government schools since 2017. They have worked on creating a pool of master trainers who have subsequently trained primary and secondary school teachers on innovative English teaching in classrooms, officials added.