Pune's Symbiosis School among top 5 schools in Eng proficiency survey

Symbiosis School from Pune is among the top 5 schools in the national school ranking, according to a recent English Proficiency Survey (EPS) conducted by Education First (EF). Mugdha Arkadi, 10th standard student of the school, is one of the national toppers in the English Proficiency Test. The EPS survey reveals that English proficiency among Indian English medium high school students is at an average of 75%, highlighting the need to improve and encourage students to read and speak more.

Gauri Kedia, 8th grade student from Dhirubhai Ambani International School (Mumbai) has topped the English Proficiency Test with 99% proficiency and completed the test in just 12minutes.
Leena Chaudhari, principal of Symbiosis School said that Mugdha topped with 91% and completed the test within 30 minutes. The survey measured English proficiency of English medium schools with varied curriculums like international GCSE, IB, CBSE, ICSE and state board curriculums.

EPS was conducted on an online platform and 30 English medium schools were selected, 3000 students participated, 51% were boys and 49% were girls. The survey was compiled by a detailed analysis of grammar, vocabulary and listening skills of students.

Country Product Manager, EF International Academy, Sunitha Perumal said, “The National English Proficiency of high school students stood at 75% in 2013 when compared to Indian adults’ proficiency of 57.49% in 2012. Our uniquely standardised comparison of English proficiency is useful for citizens and governments alike when trying to evaluate the effectiveness of their language policies. ”

Ranking of students was done based on the proficiency scores and time taken to complete the test. For ranking on global survey, the proficiency of top 10 schools from each country will be considered. Survey is underway for other Asian countries like Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. Survey results will be out on early 2014.

Findings of Survey at Indian English medium schools
- 75% National English Proficiency for 2013- l 53.62% national average for reading skill  

- 80% proficiency in vocabulary   

- 87% students in band C (proficient users) & B (independent users) showing they fare better than their peers in Asia.  

- 13% students in band A (basic users) highlights good quality English educators needed for schools.