Guwahati, August 07, 2023: In an effort to enhance the English language skills of students in early grades, the Assam government is introducing the “Jolly Phonics” teaching method in 400 schools across Kamrup Metro and Kamrup Rural.
This move comes after the National Achievement Survey (NAS) highlighted the difficulties many students face, particularly in the early grades, when it comes to reading English with proper pronunciation and writing effectively in English.
The analysis also showed that some teachers are still using traditional teaching methods, emphasizing the need to adopt new and effective approaches to improve language learning.
To address these challenges, the government has chosen to employ the modern teaching method of phonics, which focuses on teaching English with proper pronunciation.
In 2022, the Secondary Education Board of Assam (SEBA) piloted an intervention using phonics in six schools in the Kamrup (M) district in collaboration with Jolly Learning Limited (JLL) UK, and the results were positive. Now, with the approval of the Assam government, this intervention will be extended to 400 schools, with 200 schools in each district catering to lower primary classes.
To ensure the successful implementation of Jolly Phonics in classrooms, a two-day block-level teacher training program is scheduled from August 7 to August 10.
The primary goal of the training is to improve pronunciation and reading skills in English, with a special emphasis on phonics. Additionally, the program aims to enhance English writing skills among Grade-1 students.
The non-residential training will be conducted at the block level, involving 200 teachers from each district, totaling 400 participants. The training will be split into two batches, with Batch-1 taking place on August 7 and 8, and Batch-2 on August 9 and 10.
The training will be held at the District Institute of Education and Training, utilizing two halls for Kamrup Rural. The training venues will be Tarini Choudhary Government Girls Higher Secondary and Multipurpose School, and Kamrup Academy Higher Secondary School in Kamrup Metro.
