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Learning English in Maharashtra with ReadToMe

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Field Notes from Maharashtra

The RightToRead Program in Maharashtra covers 3,750 government and aided schools in 31 districts. RightToRead’s mission is to help children in reading and learning English. Maharashtra is the second most populous state in India with a literacy rate of 82.9%.

The Reading Crisis in Maharashtra

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The 2014 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) tells us that in grade 5 more than 50% children cannot read a class 2 text book in their mother tongue. When we are talking about English, only one in four children can read simple sentences like “I am a boy”. More than half those students do not understand the meaning of what they are reading. Most of the students’ language learning happens between classes 1 to 5. Therefore, it is important to build their foundation and focus on phonetics. 

During our visit to Nagpur, we witnessed the challenges detailed in the ASER report. We observed the difficulty that the children faced when it came to speaking in English. Most children were only able to identify letters but not string them in a word or sentence. That’s where ReadToMe comes in.

Learning English with ReadToMe

Traveling around Maharashtra allowed me to see the real impact of ReadToMe in these classes. When compared to the use of ReadToMe in the higher classes, the junior classes used the software mainly for listening and repeating rather than focusing on comprehension. Class observations included action poems in which ReadToMe read aloud and the children enacted different scenarios.

Puja Dharni, the class 4 English teacher in KNSP Mandals S.I.H BH School in Mumbai said that she feels that her students understand better and teaching has also become easier with ReadToMe. “The children also remember better. The slow speeds are very important for the younger students to be learning English with the software”. Once the fear is removed, the children soar to greater heights. They are now not afraid to read and focus on understanding what is being read. The favorite tool of the region was ‘Translate’ which allowed the students to understand the meaning of words in their own language.

How the Students Reacted to ReadToMe

When I asked class 6 students in Pune to guess the meaning of ‘herb,’ a word from the title of the chapter, a student promptly answered “medicinal plant”. Impressed by his response, I asked him to give an example. “Tulsi”, was the reply. Many teachers mentioned that after the introduction of ReadToMe, their class had completely changed. “I feel like this way we get the best out of the class and I can enjoy it with my students.” said Vinod Bhawarlal Goyar, the English teacher of Saraswati Secondary & Higher Secondary School in Pune.

Managing Studies with Daily Life: A Student’s Life

While talking with the students, we learned so much. The students came from families in which there was usually only one earning member. Yet, no matter what class they were in, all had dreams equally big. They also always remembered to add the importance of education in their message to other students across India. “Don’t make noise, study”, “Whatever you do, do well especially your studies”, “Study hard”, “Do your homework and don’t eat too much ice-cream”, “Work hard and don’t sleep in class” were just some of the responses I received from the various schools in Maharashtra.

Seamless Integration of Technology in Classes

While the physical infrastructure of the schools was no different in Maharashtra, the administration left a strong impression. The principals were very involved, often attending classes themselves, to ensure the students’ understanding of what was being taught to them. The teachers, no matter how hesitant of using technology, were eager to learn. They asked questions and wanted to know how to handle the mouse. “I say that now every class must become a digital class as only then can we keep the interest and engagement of the students. We are thankful for ReadToMe, and hope our students can go far now.” said Mahadeo S Chaudhari, the Principal of Dadasaheb Thakre High School in Nagpur.

Working with such dedicated teachers, principals, and computer instructors, we are enabling over 9,00,000 students in learning English in Maharashtra. We at EnglishHelper, hope that this number only continues to grow.

– Written by a member of the EnglishHelper Team.

For more information about RightToRead, visit www.englishhelper.com!