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Letter From Andhra Pradesh
Indian state pushes English education as ticket to a better life for students
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The Andhra Pradesh government is offering Test of English as a Foreign Language training to all 4 million students attending government schools in the state. The government said English proficiency will make students “globally employable”.
VIJAYAWADA, India – The class of 50 in Nidamanuru school in rural Vijayawada squinted at the TV screen as Manalakshmi tried to read English words she had never uttered before.
The fifth-grader kicked off with confidence. “Mountain... beach... val-ley,” but then stumbled. “C-A-N-Y-O-N?”
