11 English language labs to be set up by July 15

BHUBANESWAR: Speaking good English will be easier for the tribal students, with 11 English Language Laboratories (ELLs) proposed by the SC and ST Development Department likely to be operational by July 15.The 11 ELLs will come up at 11 Ekalavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in as many districts in the State. With a vision to provide better English-speaking skills to the students of EMR schools, the SC and ST Development Department had come up with the proposal of setting up the English language training laboratories. Each lab will cover approximately 420 students. The students will be from standard VI to XII. Every school will be provided with a language lab that will have all equipment necessary for language training.Every school will be provided with one software dealing with the language proficiency training. The software will help the students improve their hold over the language. One teacher will be responsible for running the lab and training the students. The project has made substantial progress with the technical bid being completed.“The technical bid for the project is over and its evaluation is going on right now,” said Odisha Model Tribal Education Society (OMTES) education consultant Sansanka Sekhar Sahu. The agencies that have bid for the project have to conform to specific parameters. The financial bid for the project will be announced soon.“It is only after the evaluation of the financial bid, the cost of the project will be known,” said an official at the SC and ST Development Department. The agency will be given the contract for a year which will be renewed every year depending on the performance.The English language proficiency will be an independent course, compulsory for all the students of EMRS. The basic objective  is to benefit the students. There will be various levels of proficiencies on which a student will be evaluated. They will be given certificate only on completion of all the levels.After the completion of the financial bid, the work will start and the agencies will be given approximately a month to complete the work. The officials are confident that the project will commence from the new academic session.