A government upper primary school in Kozhikode district has launched a project that enables students to interact with school students in Texas in the U.S.
Titled “One World,” the project connected a group of Indian-origin American students who study at Coppell High School, a public school in Texas, with the students of Manassery UP school on Monday morning.
A trial session had been held in July 2019 and school authorities say that there will be a session held every month from now onwards.
"This time, 12 students from our school participated and they mainly spoke about the cultural monuments and history of India, writers and social leaders. They also spoke about their country. They began the discussion by pointing out the differences between the American and the British English. This has helped the children understand the language," Rajeev, the teacher who coordinates the discussions, told TNM.
He said during the first session in July, the children had difficulties understanding the Texas students’ American accent. In the second session, the US students tried to speak in British English.
"There will be an ice-breaking session in the beginning where students can casually talk. After that, each student from our school and from Coppell school will present a topic and explain it. After the presentation, questions can be asked," the teacher said.
Manassery UP school has classes from 1st to 7th standard, with Malayalam and English medium classes. School authorities are hoping that the One World project will provide international exposure to their students. Rajeev also noted that government school students are not limited in their exposure to the world, as many might assume.
"Here, we have many projects, good amenities and the scope to offer greater exposure. When students get prepared to converse with Texas students, they themselves develop good language skills by reading a lot of materials," he said.
The program was arranged by an alumnus of Manassery school, advocate Jayanth, who is a resident of Texas.