Science, math teachers to teach ‘IELTS’ at govt schools

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 23

While the Punjab version of IELTS — Interactive English Language Training for Students — is all set to be taught and workshops are going to be conducted for trainings, questions are being raised why teachers of other subjects, apart from English, have been selected to conduct the workshops and IELTS training.

The shortlisted teachers teach subjects including science, maths, physics, and others. They are conducting workshops meant for improving the English language of students in the schools.

A government school teacher said, “I am surprised how a science teacher was selected for English language training instead of other English teachers. How can you expect a Maths teacher to do justice with the subject? Should it not be the domain of the English teachers only,” a teacher of English of a government school said on the condition of anonymity. Is there any paucity of English teachers in government schools? he asked.

Members of literary bodies are also questioning why the mind of school going children was being diverted towards IELTS.

“Though it sounds just English language training is being imparted to students by using IELTS name, the schoolchildren would start thinking about taking IELTS exams for going abroad and get distracted,” Sehajpreet Singh Mangat, vice president of Punjabi Sahit Akademi said. “Even if such training of English is to be started, it should be done at the college-level and not at the school-level,” he added.