A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between THG Publishing Private Limited and Christ (deemed to be university) for the ‘STEP (Standardised Test for English Proficiency)’, which was launched by The Hindu Group in 2016.

Anil Joseph Pinto, Registrar of Christ, and a representative of THG Publishing Private Limited signed the memorandum on Tuesday at Christ.

The ‘STEP’ programme, being implemented at Christ, assesses the student’s proficiency in English, which helps in gaining an understanding of their current skill set through an online test.

The test helps educators in curating a curriculum tailored to the individual needs of the students. Through this test, the educators gain an understanding of the specific needs of students. Those with a score of below 7 are provided with remedial classes, which aim to help them in developing their listening, speaking, reading, and writing (LSRW) skills.

Praising the ‘STEP’ programme, Prof. Pinto said it will be a good opportunity for students to test their language skills. Considering the diversity among the students at the college, he emphasised on the need for having a curriculum according to the specific needs of the students.

“Christ witnesses admissions from students with different educational backgrounds, hailing from educational boards like CBSE, ICSE, and State boards. Hence, this test helps the department make an informed decision in the development of the curriculum,” said Kishore Selva Babu, Head of Department, English, Christ.

“As a department of 24 committed faculty, our commitment extends beyond teaching literature, and we focus on imparting comprehensive language skills. This initiative also aims to gather student feedback so that we can make an informed decision in designing the textbooks for English in the years to come. By doing so, we aim to bridge the gap between student aspirations and faculty expertise” Mr. Kishore added.

Sharon Christina, Programme Coordinator of Christ; John Kennedy, Dean; Johny Joseph, Registrar (Academics); Shobhana and Fr. Biju, Department of English, were present.