Spoken English exams must from Class I

KOLKATA: More than a decade after West Bengal reintroduced English teaching from Class I, students of state-run schools are yet to make up for the damage done. They are found lacking in communication skills in the language.

The Mamata Banerjee government will, therefore, focus on honing English communication skills right from the beginning. The West Bengal Secondary Education Board is set to introduce spoken English as a compulsory 10-mark paper from Class I.

English was banished from school curricula till Class VI in the early 1980s. It was reintroduced in Class I in 2001 following widespread criticism which held the move responsible for leaving several generations of students weak in the language. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had hinted at the move in the assembly, pointing to the poor communication skills of students from Bengal.

School education minister Bratya Basu announced on Monday that students would have to appear for compulsory viva voce in English. They can choose not to take an English written test but must study the language from Class I. The minister also plans to do away with the five unit tests in state-run schools that he feels put too much pressure on children. Half-yearly and annual exams, too, would be optional till Class VIII, the minister said at a press meet.

"I would like to introduce spoken English from Class I. Students will have to appear for a 10-mark viva mandatorily while the remaining 90 marks will be awarded on a written examination. This is necessary to improve speaking skills as our candidates often falter in recruitment interviews . They fail to converse and express themselves in English though they have brilliant academic records. MNCs consider this a handicap . This is for Bengali-medium schools," said Basu.

Basu added that the decision would be placed before the Cabinet for approval. "If chief minister Mamata Banerjee accepts it, we shall carry it forward," he said.

The move comes more than a decade after leading engineering institutes like Bengal Engineering and Science University were forced to introduce spoken English in their engineering curricula to help impress recruiters. The latter often alleged that Bengal students were found wanting in communication skills that cost them jobs.