On 16th September 2012, an Orientation workshop for Government Education Officers for primary schools was organized by English in Action (EIA), a large-scale UK Government funded project in Bangladesh working on developing teachers’ knowledge and skills to teach English to primary and secondary school children.
The aim of the workshop was to provide orientation for education officers from divisional, district and upazila level, as well as PTI superintendents. This will be followed by a 3 day training workshop for USEOs, Academic Supervisors, UEOs, AUEOs and URCIs. The main objectives of these workshops are:
• Advocacy and awareness raising regarding the EIA project.
• Obtaining commitment for support at the divisional, district and upazila level to enable the education officers to undertake monitoring (quality assurance) in the schools within the project.
Mr. Dirk Smits, Deputy Team Leader, English in Action, in his opening speech highlighted the significance of English in Action project and how it has changed English learning and teaching methods in schools.
Mr. M. M. Neazuddin, Secretary, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Government of Bangladesh,the chief guest of the event,said that EIA’s emphasis is more on communicative English rather than just on grammar. Research has shown that the level of spoken English of teachers and students has increased as a result of using EIA materials and techniques. The Secretary urged the Education Officers participating in the workshops as well as PTI superintendents to take up the leadership role in supporting and supervising teachers to ensure that this change is sustained.
Mr. Shaymal Kanti Ghosh, DG, DPE said that ‘although we are learning English from Grade 1 we still have difficulty explaining ourselves. The EIA methods are a way to overcome this.’ He requested all his education officers to work with him and help monitor the activities.
Mr Md. Faruque Jalil, Director Policy and Operation, DPE, said that learning English is crucial for us in Bangladesh if we are to compete in the world. We have found that the way that English in Action works to improve English learning has been effective and we are proud of our teachers who have worked so hard to make this happen. However the education officers need to support these efforts. He urged them to take up this role and make it part of their daily routine.
The orientation workshop will be followed by 3 days training workshops for USEOs, Academic Supervisors, UEOs, AUEOs and URCIs around Bangladesh. These workshops will provide training on the project and the quality assurance procedures being adopted.
