The state government of Andhra Pradesh in India have signed an agreement with US-based Educational Testing Service (ETS). The deal offers customised English assessments for government school students in order to fortify their English language skills.
In classes III to X (ages eight-sixteen), ETS will evaluate and certify English proficiency across their five-year plan using the TOEFL Young Students Series assessments. In classes III to V and VI to IX, TOEFL Primary and TOEFL Junior standard tests will assess English reading and listening skills. Meanwhile the TOEFL Junior Speaking Test will assess the English speaking skills of class X students.
Speaking on the decision, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said the initiative would make a “profound societal impact” and will revolutionise education. He went on to say: “We wish that government institutions’ students will bag top jobs at the global level. We are working towards that goal.”
The new initiative is part of Reddy’s “Mana Badi Nadu Nedu” plan, a state-run programme intended to improve learning outcomes and decrease dropout rates in schools by taking up various measures. The programme, which was established in 2019, has already reformed over 30,000 schools.
