Suneetha and her classmates at Government Higher Primary School at Madrahalli in T. Narsipur taluk of Mysuru district have been reciting English rhymes in the last fortnight as the day to present their newly acquired English talent is fast approaching.

The school in the tiny village has around 101 students and each one has to speak English with their teachers, friends, and students throughout the day on January 1, 2019. While some are memorising simple rhymes, others are practising dance to Shakira’s popular number ‘Waka waka’ (This Time For Africa).

This is a part of the ‘English Empowerment Programme Fest’ (EEPF) designed to improve knowledge of English among the students of government schools, said S. Mamatha, Deputy Director of Public Instruction, Mysuru district.

On New Year’s day, the fest will be conducted in each of the 339 schools in the taluk, entirely in English — from the prayer and dance, and action songs to the vote of thanks.

The EEPF is an ambitious project of the Education Department and it is being implemented on a pilot basis in all government schools in T. Narsipur taluk.

There are 26,000 students in the 339 government schools in the taluk. “They are mainly from rural areas and they need a boost to improve their English. Hence, the department has selected T. Narsipur for the EEPF,” Ms. Mamatha told The Hindu.

S. Swamy, Block Education Officer, said, “We have already trained the teachers and cluster officer, and conducted meetings with the various teachers’ associations. The motive behind the EEPF is to build confidence among the students to communicate in English.”

Though there is no official communication, the programme is being seen as a precursor to the State government’s plan to introduce English medium in 1,000 government primary schools across the State.

The Education Department is thinking of extending the ‘T. Narsipur model’ across the State by training teachers through the Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT) and the District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET), another senior officer said.