Ranchi District Education Department has also taken a huge leap in the holistic approach of educating the students in a very special initiative by introducing Ranchi Speak, which helps in enhancing communication skills and gaining confidence among the government school children. The programme is structured to help students come out of their hesitation stage into a self-assured environment and gradually turn the classrooms into places where children are not afraid to speak out.
The program targets mainly students of Classes 1-8 of the government schools located in the Ranchi district. Most of these children, particularly rural and tribal children, tend to have issues with stage fright and discomfort when speaking before their peers or the teacher. Ranchi Speak is one such program that will help bridge this gap by offering guided practice in public speaking to students in a friendly and non-judgmental atmosphere.
There are various speaking activities that the children involved in the programme participate in, which are: telling stories in a group, making short speeches, reading aloud, introducing themselves, and group discussion. Teachers teach students how to communicate the basics of communication, which include articulation, confidence, posture, and voice variation. Such exercises will, in the end, make students forget about fear and build self-belief.
One of the major features of the Ranchi Speak is linguistic inclusivity. The students are also encouraged to communicate in the regional and tribal languages like Nagpuri, Sadari, Mundari and Kurukh on top of Hindi and English. The education officials think that letting children speak their mother language will give them confidence and help in keeping cultural identity, but in the process, improve their communication abilities slowly by slowly.
Those teachers who participated in the initiative have reported noticeable changes in students. What were once children who were hesitant to speak in the classroom are now contributing actively in the classroom, asking questions, and sharing ideas without any fear. Teachers also say that the programme has enhanced classroom interaction and the general learning achievements.
The officials of the education department have termed Ranchi Speak as not merely a speaking exercise. Their views regard it as a life-skills program that equips children with the academic and professional challenges in the future. In a time when communication competencies are one of the key elements to achieving success, the programme will reduce the confidence gap that is commonly experienced by students from government schools.
Ranchi Speak is becoming a significant student empowerment model and is expanding in its influence. The program is empowering the school children in Ranchi to make such significant strides into a better future by making them feel that they have the confidence, express themselves, and have pride in their culture.
