A Study of the English Language Proficiency of the Teachers in Andhra Pradesh
Proficiency Requirement of Teachers
The Government of Andhra Pradesh plans to introduce English as the medium of instruction in all Government schools. In addition, The Government intends to implement the CBSE system in Government schools. The Andhra Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test (APTET) requires teachers to be proficient in Grade 10-level English. [1] The syllabus and testing criteria correspond to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) level C1.
Proficiency Level of Textbooks
EnglishHelper examined the textbooks that are prescribed by the Andhra Pradesh SCERT as well as by the NCERT, with respect to their CEFR levels. The CEFR enables a standardised comparison of elements across grades in the form of Levels. CEFR levels A (A1 and A2) define the abilities of a Basic User of the language, B (B1 and B2) define the abilities of an Independent User of the language and levels C (C1 and C2) define the abilities of a Proficient User of the language. The CEFR defines specific competencies at each of these levels in the form of “can-do” statements. [2]
The textbooks of Grade 6 are at CEFR level B1 with more than 1,000 words at level B1 or higher. The elements of sentence structure, prose and grammar are also at level B1 or higher.
The textbooks of Grade 10 (which is the level of proficiency required for the teachers) are at CEFR level C1 with more than 500 words at level C1 or higher. In these textbooks too, the elements of sentence structure, prose and grammar are at level C1 or higher.
The can-do descriptors for CEFR level C1 are:
– Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning.
– Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions.
– Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.
– Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
Teachers’ Current Proficiency
About EnglishBolo™
EnglishHelper and Schoolnet India Ltd offer their spoken English program – EnglishBoloTM – to a sample of teachers from Andhra Pradesh’s Tribal Welfare and Social Welfare schools.
EnglishBoloTM is a 100-day program. Learners complete 100 self-paced lessons (Learn Yourself Lessons or LYLs) and 10 sessions that are live, virtual and teacher-facilitated (Teacher Classes or TCs).
The program is adapted to learners’ proficiency. Before commencing the program, learners take a test (Placement Test) that establishes the proficiency and places them at a certain level of the program (Initial Level). Learners are offered the appropriate program based on the Initial Level at which they are placed.
After completion of the program (100 LYLs and 10 TCs), learners take another test to determine their level (Final Level) at the end of the program (Final Test).
Proficiency of Teachers
As of writing this paper, under a program sponsored by Amazon Internet Services Pvt Ltd. and Intel India, 341 teachers from the Tribal Welfare schools of Andhra Pradesh spread across 13 districts have been enrolled in the EnglishBoloTM program. The graph shows the level at which these teachers have been placed in the Placement Test. We have also presented the CEFR level at which learners are, when placed at each of these levels, along with the can-do descriptors at these levels.
77.42% of the teachers are at English proficiency that is lower than the requirement for teachers at Andhra Pradesh schools; 53.37% are inadequately prepared for the English medium of instruction being at the lower Basic level of CEFR proficiency.
Structured telephonic conversational evaluations with 237 teachers revealed that only 9% of the teachers were able to speak English fluently and confidently. Most of these were English teachers, Science teachers or Principals. Of the 71 English teachers interviewed, only 14% (10) could speak English fluently. This situation calls for immediate remediation to prepare teachers for the English medium of instruction.
The following table shows the details of the teachers’ speaking ability by the subjects that they teach.
| Subjects | Doesn’t know any English | Knows English but prefers speaking in Telugu | Knows some English, can hold a conversation, but hesitant | Can speak in English, but stutters and pauses a little | Speaks fluently & confidently | Total |
| English | 7% | 14% | 31% | 34% | 14% | 71 |
| Language | 5% | 32% | 50% | 14% | 0% | 22 |
| Math | 7% | 17% | 59% | 17% | 0% | 46 |
| Science | 9% | 12% | 35% | 28% | 16% | 43 |
| Social Sciences | 22% | 25% | 47% | 6% | 0% | 32 |
| Other Subjects | 0% | 0% | 67% | 33% | 0% | 3 |
| Principal | 0% | 0% | 27% | 53% | 20% | 15 |
| Non-Teaching Staff | 40% | 20% | 0% | 20% | 20% | 5 |
| 9% | 16% | 41% | 25% | 9% | 237 |
Conclusion
In conclusion, the English medium of instruction and teachers’ eligibility criteria require teachers in Andhra Pradesh to be at a high level of proficiency in English. However, from the sample investigated, a large percentage of teachers are at a much lower level of proficiency than desired. Given this, there is an immediate need for state-wide remediation to improve teachers’ English language proficiency.
Reference
[1] Government of Andhra Pradesh, Department of School Education 2021, https://aptet.apcfss.in/Documents/APTET%202021%20Syllabus.pdf
[2] The CEFR Levels, https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/level-descriptions