Against a backdrop of Indian national education policies, such as the National Curriculum Framework (2005) and the National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (2009), calling for improved learner-centred pedagogy, the British Council designed and delivered an education development programme in partnership with the Government of Maharashtra, targeting primary and secondary teachers of English. This partnership was originally implemented as four distinct projects, which ran between 2012 and 2021.
- The English Language Initiative for Primary Schools
- English for All Mumbai
- The English Language Initiative for Secondary Schools
- Tejas
These projects shared the following common objectives, thus constituting the Maharashtra programme.
- Developing teachers’ understanding of, and skill in using, learner-centred pedagogy
- Developing teacher confidence and proficiency in English language
- Embedding an effective and appropriate continuing professional development system, building teacher and institutional capacity
Ecctis, a UK evaluation organisation, was commissioned in 2020 to undertake an independent evaluation of the Maharashtra programme. By engaging with a range of educational stakeholders, and reviewing project reports, national and state education policies and frameworks, Ecctis has evaluated the programme in terms of its relevance and coherence with state needs and objectives, its effectiveness, efficiency, impact and potential sustainability.
Key findings:
The report finds that programme design was informed by needs analyses and government policies, adapted to emerging needs and progressively incorporated lessons learned from projects. The report documents a range of positive findings, including substantial systemic impact on the state, on teacher educators, students, teachers, parents and officials.
The report can be downloaded from the link below.