The Hindu Business Line : English gets a leg-up at Maharashtra schools

"I could clearly sense the difference in standard of knowledge in English language, when in competition during graduation with students from other board," says Ms Tejaswini Mirji, who recently passed out from a State-board school.

Poor English communication skills, according to media reports, were the reason why a student topper was recently rejected at the Delhi Public School.

Sensing this "English" divide among students, Maharshtra's Education Department has decided to give more importance to English , as it sets about revising the syllabus.

The Maharashtra SSC (State Secondary Certificate) board's syllabus in the past has come in for criticism regarding its sub-standard English syllabus. `Some SSC board students cannot converse as fluently as some of the ICSE students. The previous syllabus was not interactive in nature. But the current revised syllabus is interactive. However I feel there needs to be more focus on the oral and conversational skills of a student," said Ms Alka Talpade, Primary Head-Mistress of Kamla High School.

Some students of the State board find it difficult to even frame a correct sentence in English, says Father Joaquim Tellis S.J, Principal, St. Mary's High School (SSC). There needs to be a more thorough and comprehensive syllabus, which fills the current vacuum, he points out.

Vernacular background

Over the past few years several schools with different education systems such as ICSE, CBSE or International Boards have been set up and these have been classified as "elite" by many in the State, observe educationists. Many students from the SSC board have shifted to these schools for better exposure to English, they add.

But many parents feel that their fluency in English hardly determines the child's knowledge of the subject. "One cannot classify non-state board schools as "elite" and SSC board schools as "non-elite". There are students from diverse backgrounds in each school. It is the syllabus of state board, which has to upgrade itself. "I support the decision of the Education Ministry to give boost to English," says Mrs Namita Mukhopadhyay, parent of a student studying in a State-board school.

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