In this major, ambitious project a British Council consultant has been working in partnership with the West Bengal state primary education board to reform the primary English syllabus, in accordance with the state's new policy for re-emphasising English language learning.

Client, stakeholders, partners

• West Bengal Board of Primary Education
• The Government of West Bengal
• Ministry of Education

Focus
Comprehensive reform of Primary English Language Teaching.

The project
In this major, ambitious project a British Council consultant has been working in partnership with the West Bengal state primary education board to reform the primary English syllabus, in accordance with the state's new policy for re-emphasising English language learning. The project has involved developing new materials for pupils, and an extensive teacher training programme.

3.3 million pupils are now benefiting from Project English, a new Primary Year One book for pupils, which is being written with British Council input and designed by the British Council. An accompanying ‘Teacher's Companion' is also being circulated to 220,000 primary teachers in the state.

By the time the project runs its full cycle, by 2011, there will be over 15 million pupils in the state pursuing syllabi and using textbooks designed with the help of British expertise, and 220,000 primary teachers will have been trained directly or indirectly by the British Council. In some ways, this project anticipated British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's challenge to help to train over 750,000 English teachers in India.

The West Bengal Primary English Project is part of the state sector strand of the British Council's far-reaching Project English in India and Sri Lanka.

What the stakeholders say

• Dr Nandita Chatterjee, Principal Secretary of School Education, West Bengal state, spoke glowingly of the British Council's contribution in making a positive intervention in the state's education system at the Policy Conference in Chennai (19-20 November, 2007): "The materials are our legacy to the pupils of this state and the textbook team, led by Dr Mackay, the Board and the British Council deserve full credit for making this happen in such a short span of time."
• The Finance Minister of West Bengal thanked the British Council profusely when Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council, called on the Minister during his visit to Calcutta on 5 March 2008.

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