Keeping in view to equip the Government school English Language teachers with latest activity based teaching methods to improve the standards of English subject teaching and learning, Punjab Education Department has tied-up with British council to train the secondary school teachers in English Language skills.Stating this here today Education Minister Punjab Sikandar Singh Maluka said the project, Punjab English Language Teaching Initiative started in the year 2011 and since then approx. 6000 English and Social studies teachers of Punjab have been trained under this project per year. The project aims to replace the traditional monotonous teaching every of mere giving lectures by modern innovative activity based teaching and learning where student learn by actively participating in the class room. The program helps the teachers to understand that in a communicative classroom the students will have more talking time than the teachers. Teachers have been trained practically during training by assigning them the tasks in pair and groups thereby teaching them classroom management which will help them teaching English to students easily.
Mr. Maluka also said that the government would impart training to 3000 master trainers in the third phase of this project. He also said that the Program works by selecting and training the Master Trainers. Selection of Master Trainers is based on strenuous criteria which are done by conducting written test and interview and then finalising the list of Master Trainers. These Master trainers further train the teachers teaching 9th and 10th classes from different schools of Punjab. Every year, Teachers show keen interest in British Council trainings and they appreciate the standards of content matter as well as training.Adding further said that the project has proved to be a boon for the teachers as they now feel that students are more active in the English class and they try to speak English. During Field Observations from time to time by official from Education Department and British Council Trainer. It has come into notice that the teachers are practising the methods and techniques in their classrooms and they feel elated with the results.