The Regional English Language Office (RELO) of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, in partnership with nine key teacher training colleges of the University of Delhi, will offer two teacher training courses for 700 select pre-service teachers from Delhi and the National Capital Region from January 25 to April 12, 2021. Nineteen U.S. Department of State-funded Virtual English Language Fellows will lead the two ten-week online courses.
The courses are designed to address some of the objectives outlined in India’s new National Education Policy (NEP) and will help teachers teach English as well as teach in English. The courses will promote reflective and learner-centered pedagogy as mandated in the NEP, and will enhance teachers’ abilities to support the development of students’ English language proficiency in all subject areas, as well as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and other 21st Century skills. This new initiative will also incorporate hands-on experience with new classroom technologies, supporting teachers in addressing some of the pandemic-related challenges they currently face. Graduates will use the skills they learn in the program to benefit tens of thousands of students over the course of their careers.
One of the objectives of the Regional English Language Office is to provide support for English educators throughout the region. RELO is thrilled to enable this group of Virtual English Language Fellows to share their expertise with up-and-coming educators in Delhi, particularly during the challenging period of the pandemic. In his book “Shiksha: My Experiments as an Education Minister”, Shri Manish Sisodia points out that “Education’s biggest achievement is that it can foresee future problems, find solutions, and prepare future generations for them” (Shiksha, p 155). The new National Education Policy has foreseen the challenges of the next decades, and the Regional English Language Office is delighted to be part of the solution.”
The English Language Fellow Program is sponsored by the U.S. State Department to enable highly qualified U.S. educators in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) to participate in fellowships at academic institutions throughout the world. The program fosters mutual understanding, promotes English language learning and enhances English teaching capacity abroad. For more information about the Regional English Language Office and its programs, please visit https://in.usembassy.gov/education-culture/study-usa/regional-english-language-office-relo/ or write to RELOIndia@gmail.com
