ENGLISH

Fluency of the English language has become a required ability for success within the Indian economy. Improving the written and spoken English ability of students in rural India could have a significant impact on their career prospects. To that end, we have explored various avenues to improve the English program

At Nanubhai, we take a multi-faceted approach to the challenge of improving children's English skills:

• Full Immersion Classes: Two Nanubhai Fellows, placed as staff at each of our four partner schools, teach full immersion English classes to students in 6th through 11th standard as part of the regular school day. In one school, two Fellows will personally teach over 750 students.
• Free Before and After School Programs: We offer free full year Spoken English classes before and after school to interested students at our partner schools. Attending students follow our rigorous, engaging curriculum which focuses on real-life applications of the English that students are learning how to read and write in school. Smaller class sizes of 15-20 allow Fellows to focus on the individual needs of students who are usually lost in the large school day class sizes.
• English Children's Libraries: Reading material for children to take home in the villages we serve is scarce and English language material is even rarer. To address this and encourage English literacy, we have developed a children's English lending library of 200+ children's books at each of our partner schools. We hope to expand these to include over 500 books each in the next year. With the support of Microsoft Research India, we are also exploring the potential of books on DVD in the communities we serve through an innovative pilot program.
• SCOPE Scholarships: The government of Gujarat, in partnership with Cambridge University, has initiated its own supplementary English curriculum and program called SCOPE. By passing the SCOPE exams, students have an increased chance of being able to secure employment post-graduation. Nanubhai sponsored 30 selected students in participating partner schools who would not otherwise been able to enroll in the program with need-based scholarships for class fees and materials.
• English Teacher Training: We are assisting in building up regional teacher's professional organizations within the Surat district. This past year, our Kadod Fellows worked with local teachers to found a local chapter of the English Language Teachers Assocation of India (ELT@I) and Nanubhai sponsored the attendance of three teachers at the Regional ELT@I conference in Ahmedabad.