Multilingual Early Learning Group

Teaching Programme

The Early Learning Group (ELG), for children aged 4-12, runs twice a week in 3 village centres for about 150 children from 9 villages. The ELG continues to be a flagship programme, one of the central elements driving the educational approach of the Resource Centre.

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The ELG aims to:

  • Support basic literacy and numeracy, increasing the breadth and depth of basic skills achieved by class 4
  • Broaden the scope of education to increase its relevance for marginalised children and provide a holistic learning environment including creative writing, art, drama, sports and music.
  • Promote first-language resources in local schools and build relationships with schools that positively work towards addressing quality issues.
  • Pay particular attention to children with learning difficulties of various kinds.

The ELG is an experiment in multi-lingual education, using the four core languages of Bengali, Santali, Kora and English spoken as first languages by the children who attend. As a backdrop to language use, it also emphasises the different cultures of all the children who attend, making conscious efforts to include meaningful reference to their lives, communities and experiences.

Weekly sports sessions and one-to-one remedial teaching for children with particularly learning challenges are part of the ELG’s approach.

The ELG teaches literacy, numeracy, English, Bangla, Environmental Science, Art and Sports, and it also has library classes.

Every year, the Suchana holds and Annual Show, in which the ELG members are central participants. Regular classes make way for performance rehearsals in Santali, Kora, Hindi, Bangla and English (country) Dances; Magic; Gymnastics; Science Demonstrations; and Dramas in Santali, Kora and Bangla.

ELG Picture