HYDERABAD: Whether you like it or not, English today has become the most prominent language to communicate with people across the globe. And despite it being one of the official languages of our country, very few have the access to learn it. The absence of it could result in several talented people missing out on the best of the opportunities the world has to offer. And sometimes, even in the places that it is taught, it’s not done well, says Hyderabad-based Rohan, who saw this gap and decided to do something about it. Project Bolo English became the solution to the problem. A charitable project that empowers children and low-income communities with spoken English skills, we learn more about this noble initiative.
Sharing the idea behind Bolo English, Rohan says, “There is a big ‘premium’ of sorts attached to English language and various professions today. There is a growing demand to hire or prefer those well-versed in the language, and it’s good that appropriate knowledge of it benefits people. But unfortunately, several people, especially those from lower-income families, do not have access to master the language.
One of primary sources is English medium schools, but even here, the teacher seems to possess the same knowledge as the student. We know this because even after two years of our project, we found that of the nine thousand teachers that we have evaluated, around 85 per cent of teachers are at the same level as their students. So, there is this huge gap in terms of where these students can learn from.
There isn’t a market that is catering to this particular group. It is mostly for adults, but if you learn early when in school, there is a higher chance to grasp it better later.” The Bolo English project is both — for teachers and students. “In terms of students, we have about two and a half lakh students training with us right now across 11 states. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have been one of the biggest beneficiaries right from day 1. In Telangana alone, we have over 50-60 thousand students from Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Ranga Reddy, Warangal and Khammam districts. We also work in rural areas, while our primary focus is on schools in slum areas and lower-income areas. We also have Telugu and English medium schools,” he tells CE.
Bolo English uses a mobile application which can be used offline and has all the teaching tools one would use. “They also come with a bunch of other activities that can be conducted outside the application which helps more towards practical learning. We also regularly curate events called Open English cafes where students come and interact with each other only in English. It is both virtual and in schools. We also work towards training teachers virtually and have some trainers in Hyderabad who visit schools once in a while,” he shares.
Because it’s a charitable programme, Rohan did not have much of a problem convincing the schools. “However, since we went live during the pandemic, there were a huge number of teachers who had just left their jobs at schools that couldn’t pay and there was a lack of consistency in their availability. Apart from that, the introduction of technology was a matter of concern because of the lack of device availability — we had to let go of many schools due to the same,” he says adding that he is thankful that today things have improved with better access and allaying of parents’ fears.