Dilip Kumar

Bhubaneswar: If everything goes well as per plans, the Class-I students in government-run schools in Odisha will learn English from the next academic session.

The School and Mass Education department has mulled to introduce the new subject for the class-I students. However, the course will be introduced in the centre of excellence schools in initial phase, informed School and Mass Education Minister Sameer Ranjan Dash.

"As per the decision of the Chief Minister, we are going to introduce English course in class-I in all centre of excellence schools from the next academic year," Dash said on the sidelines of a teachers-parents meeting at Rourkela.

At present, children study English as a subject from Class III after it was introduced in the curriculum of Government schools.

Sources said parents and guardians have favoured the English education from Class-I and are keen on teaching English to their wards from elementary level.

The fresh decision would help break the stereotype and enable students converse well in foreign language at par with their counterparts in english medium schools, sources added.

Sources said around 72 per cent students fail to clear the English paper in HSC examination which prompted the government to stress on the need to improve standard of English in Odia medium schools.

While speaking on the parents-teachers meeting, the Minister said “We have plans for four such similar meetings in a bid to enhance the quality of education in government schools. All measures are being taken to make all the government schools at par with the private public schools,” he said adding students will compete to get admission in the government schools in future.

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