‘Chala Shikuya’ to help BMC students learn new skills

Students studying in class 1 to 5 of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) schools are being assessed for their learning abilities, language skills and problem solving tactics in Mathematics. BMC has initiated a new programme called ‘Chala Shikuya’ or ‘Let’s Learn’ to understand the learning level assessment programme of students and their basic skills.

This programme has been initiated to check the level of academic progress of students. A baseline test was conducted in September and a mid-line test was conducted in December last year. These tests are focused on the basic understanding of Mathematical concepts, aptitude and grasping power of the English language.

The idea is to understand the basic capabilities of students and their skills, claimed Mahesh Palkar, BMC education officer. Palkar said, “We are conducting these tests for students of class 1 to 5 to gauge their capacity and understanding of basic concepts. We want to know the grasping capacity of students, instead of just bombarding them with concepts and then expecting them to perform well.”

These tests examine the basic concepts of Mathematics like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division at the primary level. Sanjana Kelkar, a BMC teacher said, “It is good to teach students when they are in class 1 to 5. This is the period when they are open to learning so that we can form a strong foundation. It will help to reduce the failure percentage when students progress to the secondary section.”

English has been the focus of BMC schools but it is not the first language of students, revealed Nityanand Kandekar, a BMC teacher. Kandekar said, “Students struggle to cope up with the English language because it is not their mother tongue. Most of our students speak Marathi, Hindi or Urdu at home. So it is tough to instil the proficieny and fluency of the English language. These tests will help to strengthen the basics in English language at an early age.”

In addition, teachers are being trained to identify and help students who need attention based on the test results.

Palkar added, “Through these tests, teachers will be able to identify students who are weak and need special attention instead of just catering to the entire class. Both mathematics and English form the basis of a student’s career so it will help them to progress and consequently improve their performance.”