To bring educational reform in the state, the Andhra Pradesh Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ETS (Educational Testing Service) to further enhance the communication skill of the government school students. The agenda of the programme is to start the training from the basic level and further prepare them for TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).
The MoU was signed by Lejo Sam Oommen of ETS India and B Srinivasa Rao, Project Director of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, in the presence of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana, Principal Secretary (Education) Praveen Prakash, NCERT Director Pratap Reddy and other senior officials were present for the occasion, according to The New Indian Express.
What does it aim to achieve?
The new initiative undertaken by the government aims at helping the government school students of Class III to X to learn and understand international English accents.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said, "We want our citizens to become globally employable. You should put more empathy and passion in training our students to face TOEFL. If we can transform their lives, we will be doing a great service not only to their families, but also to God, as it helps uplift the downtrodden.”
The Chief Minister also urged the ETS representatives to take up the programme to senior level classes as students want to go abroad generally for studying undergraduate courses after completing Plus I and II (intermediate courses).
It was also disclosed that almost 30,200 classrooms, equalling 50% of the total classrooms in the state, will be digitised by July end and students above Classes VI will be taught through interactive flat panels (IFPs). The minister urged them to devise plans for its strict implementation and integration of the courses with the curriculum and improve the teaching abilities effectively to take the entire programme forward successfully.
“We have seen first-hand the power of the English language as a gateway to global opportunity. Through the emphasis of English skill development at a young age, students in Andhra Pradesh will be better prepared for success is the long term. We commend Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh,YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for his partnership and look forward to seeing the impact of our collaboration on this region and beyond,” shared Sahin Jain, County Manager, ETS, India.
ETS Senior Director Alain Daumas, who led the delegation, said, “This collaboration between the government and ETS is a testament to the progressive approach the state has taken towards providing students with global opportunities and fostering their academic excellence.”
He further added that this helps immensely in improving the quality of education in the state. The team of teachers coming to Princeton every year for training will get the best. ETS has been extending its services to students in 180 countries and will do its best to train the students of Andhra Pradesh.
