Teachers in Karnataka have raised concerns over the short duration of training provided ahead of the rollout of English-medium classes for students of Classes 1 to 5 in government schools across 15 districts.
The Department of School Education and Literacy recently conducted training sessions for teachers, but many participants said the programme lasted only five days instead of the 15 days reportedly mentioned in official material.
Teachers say five days not enough
Several teachers expressed worry that the limited training period was insufficient to build confidence in English teaching methods before schools reopen in around six weeks.
A government school teacher from Belagavi said some trainers selected as resource persons did not have an English teaching background and were themselves not fully equipped to train others in classroom language use.
Work pressure adds to challenge
Another teacher said many participants were simultaneously handling SSLC answer paper evaluation and census-related training, affecting the quality of learning.
Teachers also noted that some educators still struggle with basic sentence formation in English, making a brief workshop inadequate for effective classroom delivery.
Experts call for trained recruits
Purushotham Bilimale reportedly said even the basics of any language cannot be learnt in five days. He urged the government to recruit teachers with formal English language backgrounds.
He warned that weak implementation could lead to poor language learning among students and impact future academic outcomes.
Big policy, bigger preparation needed
The English-medium expansion is aimed at strengthening opportunities for children in government schools. However, educators say successful implementation requires longer training, practical classroom support and skilled teaching staff.