2,500 more teachers trained as Dharwad pushes bilingual classrooms drive

Hubballi: As many as 2,500 govt teachers and resource persons in the district have undergone training for bilingual classrooms, conducted by the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Dharwad.

Bilingual classes have already been introduced in more than 80 govt schools in the district, with students being taught in both Kannada and English. Several more schools will be added in the 2026-27 academic year. State-level and district-level training was conducted in April and May. The programme familiarised teachers with the bilingual curriculum and textbooks, improved their English language proficiency and enhanced their teaching skills.

The education department is converting all govt schools in 15 districts, including Dharwad, Vijayapura, Bagalkot and Bengaluru, into monograde bilingual classrooms, replacing the earlier Nali-Kali system. BV Hariprasad, DDPI, Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT), Bengaluru, visited and addressed trainees of the English Medium Teachers’ Induction Programme (EMTIP) at DIET Dharwad.

Basavaraj Nalatwad, DDPI (development), DIET Dharwad, told TOI that a state-level English Medium Teachers’ Induction Programme training for resource persons was conducted. Training was provided to 15 resource persons from each taluk from March 31 to April 4 by those trained at the state level. Five resource persons from each taluk were later selected and trained on transition period, Setu Bandha and Vidya Pravesh through a one-day face-to-face programme in Dharwad.

He said that to equip govt school teachers to handle English-medium and bilingual sections, multiple levels of training programmes were organised. A total of 2,029 teachers handling Classes 1 to 5 were trained at the taluk level, he added.

All implementing officers from CRP to DDPI have been assigned schools and asked to conduct reviews twice a month to guide teachers. A workshop was also organised for implementing officers in the district, during which details were shared on the school bridge programme and the revised school education plan, including the transition period.

Umesh Bommakkanavar, in-charge DDPI, Dharwad, said that around 750 primary schools have been converted into bilingual institutions. All primary teachers have received training through DIET, and textbooks are bilingual this year, he said.

Basappa R Kallannavar, assistant teacher, Govt Primary School, Nekar Colony, Hubballi, said they underwent five days of training to teach bilingual sections from this academic year. New textbooks include both languages. DIET and resource persons were trained at the state level before conducting sessions for teachers across taluks. The training covered spoken English, teaching methods, storytelling, and preparation of teaching-learning materials, along with how to deliver lessons in both languages, he added.