Media Release

udupi/Mangaluru, Dec 2: English is a determiner of good jobs. Although many schools in the Udupi and Mangaluru region are in English medium, the problem is that the standard of English from Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns is not comparable to the English of students in Tier 1 cities. The data on this is incontrovertible and disturbing:

• Tier 1 cities: Average English proficiency score is 65%. (Source: Cambridge English)
• Tier 2 cities: Average English proficiency score is 45%. (Source: Cambridge English)
• Tier 3 cities: Average English proficiency score is 25%. (Source: Cambridge English)

This has a major effect on students, an effect many don’t realise. The data is even more disturbing if you look at drop-outs of students due to lack of English proficiency.

• Tier 1 cities: 5% drop-out rate due to lack of English skills. (Source: ASER)
• Tier 2 cities: 15% drop-out rate due to lack of English skills. (Source: ASER)
• Tier 3 cities: 30% drop-out rate due to lack of English skills. (Source: ASER)

In a time where every student studying in the higher education aims at a job which is lucrative, highly honoured and makes their future secure. Presently the number of students moving abroad for higher education in western universities have increased enormously. May it be for higher education abroad or for jobs, one of the aspects that Indian rural students find it difficult to crack is the entrance test in testing their competency in English Language. Most of them take special coaching to clear the entrance exams like IELTS, TOEFL and OET etc but fail to clear them even after multiple trials.

But how can one ensure that students from the Udupi and Mangaluru regions speak English as the native speakers of western countries? How do they clear difficult English entrance exams? How do they alleviate the gap with urban students? It all happens with English excellence. 

Is it possible for the rural students to achieve English excellence? Yes, it is not only possible but a reality with this present initiative by the schools of Udupi and Mangaluru.

One of the major challenges that schools in these Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns are facing are financial challenges due to due to resource crunches, and the fact that getting access to international programmes in these regions is difficult. However, ZillionPathways, under the aegis of its CEO Ronald Olivera in collaboration with sponsors from the Gulf made available world class UK English programmes to schools in Udupi and Mangalore. This is an 80-hour English programmes that makes students learn English at B2 levels using Animation and Gamification. This English program is so good that it received the prestigious ELTon Award from the British Council and the UK Universities use it to train foreign students in English to bring them upto UK standards quickly.

This initiative has given schools in this region access to the English course free with the help of sponsors from the Gulf. In a first initiative, two schools, St. John’s Academy, Shankarpura and Don Bosco School, Shirva have allocated 700 students to this programme. The importance of learning high quality of English cannot be emphasised enough, especially for international opportunities. As the correspondent of St John’s Academy, Shankarpura, Fr Prakash Anil Castelino, stated that, “The urban-rural divide is significant in learning English. Parents in urban areas spend 4 times more on students in other areas. Although our sponsor preferred to remain anonymous, the blessings received for such help for our Schools, especially the disadvantaged students will always surpass their expectations. His contribution to the students will give our school an advantage in English which in turn will give them a definite edge in job market.”

The problem is that just being an English medium school is not enough today. The power of articulating in English is as crucial. Students in Bangalore and other Tier 1 cities have a distinct advantage when it comes to English language proficiency, driven by a combination of factors including education infrastructure, economic advantages, and career opportunities. They also have access to the local job market and because of exposure to English regularly, they are able to communicate better in English and thus have a major advantage. This is a huge advantage than most think. A recent ILO report stated that over 65% of Indian youth are unemployed. This is a very disturbing statistic particularly as a significant number are from Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns and cities.

What many do not realise is that education by itself is not sufficient. Unemployment among youths with secondary education or higher is six times greater, and nine times higher for graduates, than for those who cannot read or write (Annual Report 2022-23: Ministry of Labour and Employment). This is a tragic statistic as it shows that education is not enough if you do not have articulation and communication. This is why a lot of parents are enrolling their children in English courses as seen from the courses below and spend a lot of money to help them improve their English:

• 82% of urban parents enrol their children in English language courses (Source: Education World Survey 2020)
• Delhi-NCR: ?18,400 average annual spend per child (Source: KPMG Report 2020)
• Mumbai: ?16,300 average annual spend per child (Source: KPMG Report 2020)
• Bangalore: ?14,800 average annual spend per child (Source: KPMG Report 2020)

But students in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in the Udupi and Mangaluru region are unable to match this level of preparation and as a result suffer in the job market. This is why English programmes like this are highly appreciated by schools for their students. As the Principal of Don Bosco School, Shirva, Fr Rolwyn Joy Aranha, states, “The benevolence of our parishioners Mr. Benny and Mrs. Jessy Barboza, who have sponsored students to take this English course to give them opportunities that transcend the region is one which will make our Schools more effective and help provide additional opportunities for our students.”

And, it’s not just English. This programme comes with a certificate from the City & Guilds of London. The City & Guilds is a 140-year-old non-profit organisation that has Queen Elizabeth’s daughter, Princess Anne as the president and is present in 80 countries worldwide. Every year 2 million students take the City & Guilds certificate. According to the CEO of ZillionPathways, Ronald Olivera, “Schools from the Udupi and Mangalore region have always been at the forefront of education and have done so with great sacrifice and for upliftment of every community in the region. However, with the gap in the urban-rural divide, with parents in Urban areas spending large sums to enable their children get an English advantage, I wanted to reduce this gap by getting a world class English course for our Schools in non-urban areas. As of now our whole focus is to support schools, and with the help of generous alumni and sponsors (at least to the schools who take keen interest to offer this course to their students and interested teachers), we can ensure that our Schools get these programmes free or for subsidised price and give their students a tremendous boost."

As the US President Barack Obama said, “In the globalized world, English has become the language of opportunity." This is an opportunity that has been made available to our Schools from the Udupi Mangaluru region with the benevolence and help of sponsors to the benefit to the community in toto.