रोज़गार के लिए अंग्रेज़ी का क्रेज बढ़ा

महानगरों में अंग्रेजी पाठ्यक्रमों को लेकर जबरदस्त रुझान है। अधिकतर का कहना है कि अच्छी अंग्रेजी बड़े नगरों में बेहतर रोज़गार की दिशा में पहला कदम होती है। आज के टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया में मीनाक्षी कुमार ने मुंबई में हेमाली छापिया के साथ मिलकर यह बताने की कोशिश की है कि अंग्रेजी को लेकर बढ़ते क्रेज का राज़ क्या है और टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया का मिशन टीच इंडिया इसमें किस हद तक कारगर हो सकता हैः

Six months ago,Arti Chauhan didnt know a word of English.Today,she can speak and write it.Chauhan was a maid in the Capital.She enrolled in an English speaking course in order to communicate with her fianc,a foreigner she worked for.Artis story may be unusual but she is one of many illiterate people who arrive in Indias metros hoping to find a good job,decent wages and the chance of a better life.

English is crucial to achieve any or all of this.This is why English courses are booming in the metros.Everybody wants to speak and know English, says Alka Gupta,founder of the British Academy for English Language,which started in Delhi but now has branches in many cities.

Rajesh Kharat,a student at University of Mumbai,is learning the nuances of the language,even though he studied in an English medium school.I signed up at an academy

where they train me to use just the right word, he says.

Those who beat a path to Guptas door include engineering graduates who want to handle campus interviews better;those who want to learn how to draft a business letter;others who want to learn how to speak clearly to clients.Chefs,beauticians,nurses show up.Most say they consider the English language the first step towards landing a good job in big cities.

Jyoti,who teaches at the HIC English Speaking & Learning Centre in Delhi,says,Many parents dont know English and find it tough to communicate with their children and their teachers.They come here to learn to speak at parent-teacher meetings. Gupta says some people from the south of India or Bengal want to improve their accent.

Major K V Rajan,executive director of Veta Academy in Mumbai,says its a myth that students who have received an education in English can communicate well too.Most of our students are passed out of college or still studying;they are graduates,engineers or even MBAs.

What of the end-product Do the students learn to speak correctly Not always, admits Debjani Mitter,who formerly taught at an English coaching centre,How much can one learn in a 45-day or a three-month class

Just enough to get a job perhaps.

THE ABC OF JOBS

Teach India 2010 will focus on teaching English to young people to make them more employable

WHY LEARN ENGLISH,ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE YOUNG

India has 521 million people aged between 12 and 32 This demographic dividend could help propel India into the league of developed nations but Indian youth need to acquire crucial skills,not least spoken English English has become the preferred language of communication for jobs in the retail,banking,hospitality sectors Being able to converse in English builds individual confidence and also improves the chances of finding work

HOW CAN TEACH INDIA 2010 HELP

Teach India 2010 will focus on teaching spoken English to less privileged youth in the 18-32 age group to increase their employability

WHAT IS TEACH INDIA 2010

Its a Times Group initiative to teach spoken English to youth belonging to underprivileged sections of urban society It brought the British Council on board to design the curriculum and train volunteers and teachers The curriculum has been designed considerations the current language levels of the target segment and the spoken English requirements of potential employers The Times Group will pro-actively attempt to build a bridge between learners and potential employers On completion of the course,learners will be jointly certified by both The Times Group and British Council

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS PROGRAMME

The typical target learner is between 18 and 32 Has some basic introduction to English but never used it in their daily life i.e.is familiar with the English alphabet and can read simple words like cat,road,etc Wants to improve employability through the course

WHERE CAN ONE LEARN

Teach India classes will be held on the premises of different NGO offices Four batches,each lasting two hours,will be held daily Each batch will have 20 learners Here are sample time slots for classes but the programme will be flexible overall about timings:

Early morning

: 7:20 am9 :20 am

Morning batch:

9:20 am11 :20 am 9:50am11 :50am

Noon batch:

12:20 pm2 :20 pm

Afternoon batch:

3:20 pm5 :20 pm

Evening batch:

5:50 pm7 :50 pm The classes will run six days a week over a 12-week period Two volunteers will teach one batch on alternate days making it essential for every volunteer to take classes for approximately 72 hours over three months Each volunteer will need to make a substantial commitment of time and needs to understand this upfront

WHAT YOU GET IF YOU VOLUNTEER

Joint certification by the Times Group and British Council Two certificates altogether,the first to certify having been trained and the second that one has taught a class at a standard accepted worldwide An honorarium A years subscription to The Times of India and TOI-Crest

HOW WILL WE GO ABOUT IT

The initiative will be implemented on the ground by partner grassroots NGOs,mostly working in urban slums These NGOs have been carefully selected and the Times Group will support them financially and with training These partner NGOs will be responsible for organizing the spoken English classes,getting the learners into classrooms and managing day-to-day matters The NGOs we have selected are currently working with our target learner group on skill building or vocational training The NGOs will have a community mobilizer/coordinator to gather learners and to coordinate with volunteers If a centre doesn't have many volunteers teaching,batches will be taught by a paid,full-time teacher

WHEN WILL LEARNERS BE READY FOR JOBS

The British Council has designed a 144-hour spoken English curriculum,which will be taught over 12 weeks Learners will attend two-hour sessions each day,six days a week for 12 weeks Each two-hour session will comprise one chapter or unit in the curriculum The curriculum is designed to make learners ready for the job on completion of the course The curriculum is designed so that student Talk Time constitutes 80% or more of each lesson,reducing the time spent in passive listening and improving his/her overall personality and confidence There are some all-girls classrooms

OUR PILOT PROJECT SHOWS IT WORKS

A pilot project was run in the National Capital Region in 17 NGO classrooms The project began on Aug 2,likely to end on Oct 13 The British Council conducted a two-week training programme for the volunteers and NGO teachers The pilot project has shown that learners are ready to hit the job market with new confidence and English language skills.