Education Minister Raju Basnet meets Vikramshila Education Resource Society to strengthen English teaching in government schools

Education Minister Raju Basnet chaired a meeting with representatives of the Vikramshila Education Resource Society at his official residence in Gangtok on 12 June. The discussion focused on ways to strengthen English Language Teaching (ELT) in Sikkim’s government schools.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Education Department and academic bodies, including the Principal Secretary for Education, the Secretary (School Education), and leaders from SCERT. From the society side, Shubhra Chatterji and a colleague represented Vikramshila, an organisation that has worked in multiple states to improve classroom teaching practices and foundational learning.

Plan targets reading, writing and communicative skills

Participants discussed the challenges students face in learning English in government schools. They also examined what a stronger approach in classrooms could look like. The focus was on improving reading, writing and students’ ability to communicate, along with building confidence for spoken English.

To address these needs, the officials and representatives spoke about teacher support and classroom resources. Ideas included strengthening teachers’ confidence in spoken English, preparing teacher guides connected to existing textbooks, and developing classroom materials that support day-to-day teaching. The group also discussed creating a cadre of master trainers and setting up demonstration and mentoring support so improvements can continue after training.

Pilot in Soreng district discussed

The meeting highlighted the need for interventions that fit local classroom realities. It was agreed that SCERT and other state academic institutions should work closely with the proposed partners, including through diagnostic studies in schools to understand existing gaps. The participants also emphasised using low-cost and replicable teaching-learning resources and building classroom settings where students can participate actively.

After detailed deliberations, the group agreed in principle to implement the programme on a pilot basis in Soreng district, described as an aspirational district. The district was chosen in view of comparatively lower performance in relation to other districts in the recently concluded State Achievement Survey. The meeting ended with a decision to hold further consultations and technical discussions in the coming days to finalise the implementation framework and roadmap.