The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is taking steps to improve school students’ grasp on English while retaining the importance of Tamil.
“It is important to celebrate Tamil as a mother tongue and learn Hindi. But can a student survive abroad speaking these languages alone,” said Yazhini B., councillor of ward 135.
“When students move onto higher studies or work, they feel stuck because they lack the fluency to communicate in English,” Ms. Yazhini said. She added that as a councillor, she had a chance to improve the situation and had involved a non-governmental organisation, Citizens for Law and Democracy (CLAD), to help educate students.
Recently, the GCC released a circular to all its schools regarding interventions to improve the students’ spoken and comprehension skills. Schools have been suggested to conduct Wednesday’s prayer wholly in English and allocate time for a student to recite and explain an English proverb everyday. Additionally, daily recitation of the Thirukural in Tamil and English is being encouraged.
Besides, the circular said students were to be given a space to express themselves in English periods by speaking for two minutes each on topics such as Indian freedom fighters, culture and global warming. “Our aim is that all students should have an opportunity to speak English so their hesitation with the language disappears,” Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi said.
On November 25, Chennai High School (CHS), Kodungaiyur, conducted an art festival where students participated in Thirukural recitations, essay writing and poetry readings. “We hope that students will the develop the confidence to communicate in various spaces, like offices,” said Muniramaiah U., headmaster, CHS.
“A foundational knowledge of English communication bridges the gap between vulnerability and opportunity and the quality difference between private and government schools,” says Ra. Shhiva, founder and president, CLAD.
