Pilot project trains corporation school teachers

“To improve the English language, focus on comm­unic­ation skills,” said Dr Mi­chael Milanovic, chief executive of Cambridge En­­glish Language Asses­sm­ent. To mark the 100 years of Cambridge English ex­ams, Cambridge English La­ng­uage Assessment, the not-for-profit department of the University of Camb­ridge, organised a conference on ‘Strategies for developing English langu­age skills to enhance graduate employability’ on Wed­nesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Milanovic said that they could work towards developing English language skills to enhance employability in India. The Cambridge English story began in 1913 when three candidates in the UK took the first Cambridge English exam in two centres. “All of them failed,” he said with a smile. Cambridge English Language Assessment off­ers learning, teaching and assessment support to further motivate students and make sure their progress me­asures up to international standards.

Exams are aligned to the Common European Fra­mework of Reference (CE­FR), the international standard for describing language ability. Around four million people a year take Cambridge English exams and more than 13,000 organisations worldwide accept the exams.

While the grading starts from A1, A2 to C1 and C2, Milanovic said that in some rural areas in India, teachers got A1 or A2 and there were also teachers who secured the highest C1 grade. The first Indian office of Cambridge Eng­lish Language Assessment was set up in 2005 in Che­nnai.

T.K. Arunachalam, reg­ional director, South Asia, said, “Nearly 1,200 teachers in India take the exams annually. We have collaborated with 200 colleges and 110 schools in TN. We train teachers and assess them and they, in turn, teach students. We consider English as a skill and not as a subject.”

Apart from private schools, Cam­bridge is planning to join hands with Chennai Corp­oration to train teachers. On a pilot basis, a training progra­mme has begun for 100 corporation school teachers. Angela French, operations director, South-So­uth East Asia, spoke on the occasion.