Experts from the British Council will give lessons to BMC-run school teachers on how to teach in the English language. The civic body will pay the British Council `3.5 crore for this exercise.
According to civic officials, the English language-training programme will be implemented phase-wise. In the initial phase, British Council experts would train 30 civic teachers for 60 days this year, and another 60 days the next year.
The master trainers from the first batch will be asked to train 2,400 teachers in the English language. The civic body is aiming to train as many as 9,600 teachers in the next five years under this training programme.
“The training by the British Council is basically for subjects such as Maths and Science that will need to be taught in the English language after Class 8,” said Manoj
Kotak, chairman of civic education committee.
Amidst the rising clamour for education in the English language, the BMC has decided to introduce a semi-English pattern in its civic schools. The civic body has planned to start this pattern in 250 classes of the 177 schools by next year.
Sunil Dhamane, deputy municipal commissioner (education), said, “Parents want their kids to study in English medium schools. There have also been demands from them to start semi-English pattern in vernacular medium schools. Keeping this in mind, we have decided to introduce a semi-English pattern in civic schools.”
Civic officials say that the number of students enrolling in English medium schools has substantially increased. While, the number of students attending English medium schools in 2007 was 21,899, the figure had risen to 52,384 by 2012.
The BMC’s decision to start civic English medium schools, called Mumbai Public Schools, has evoked a positive response.