Ranchi: The Ranchi district education department is promoting a new campaign titled ‘Vocabulary’, aimed at enhancing the English and Hindi terminology of students studying in over 2,100 govt primary and middle schools across the district. Students from Class I to Class VIII will be introduced to a structured and interactive method of learning English and Hindi vocabulary, combining both online and offline mediums for accessibility and reach.Talking to TOI, district superintendent of education (DSE), Badal Raj, said, “This effort is designed to strengthen foundational language skills and empower students with better communication and grammar abilities from an early age. A new curriculum has been carefully designed to support this initiative.”According to the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), the reading and comprehension abilities of students in Std IV for is 6.8% of children could read English sentences, and 45.3% are able to explain the meaning of those sentences. In class V, the percentage of students who could read sentences is 12.2%, with 47.3% of them capable of understanding the meanings. In Class VI, 15.3% of children could read sentences, and 58.8% of could articulate the meanings. In Class VII, 21.6% of students are able to read sentences, and 54% of this cohort could tell their meanings. In Class VIII, 27.9% of children could reading proficiency, with 56.6% able to explain the sentences’ meanings. Overall, across all grades, it was noted that approximately 53% of the students who could read simple sentences in English were also able to convey their meanings effectively.Under the action plan, 180-word groups have been developed based on categories such as states and capitals, fruits, vegetables, animals, days of the week, and months of the year. One word group will be introduced every 15 days, and students will not only be required to memorise them but will also have to appear for periodic assessments to evaluate their understanding and retention. These vocabulary sets have been curated in alignment with students’ academic levels and will be distributed across all schools in the coming week. Children will be encouraged to create their own personal dictionaries, a move expected to significantly enhance their linguistic confidence, grammar, and communication skills.Teachers have been directed to integrate vocabulary-building exercises into classroom routines and plan to interact with both students and teachers via online platforms to track progress and gather feedback. A dedicated committee led by DSE and comprising a principal and assistant teacher will monitor its progress, the department said.
