Pune, June 28 -- In a remarkable transformation across Pimpri Chinchwad's civic schools, the fear of English is being steadily replaced by confidence, curiosity, and joy, said a Senior official of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.

English as a Second Language (ESL) initiative, launched in 2022, initially targeted students in Grades 1 and 2 and has since reached over 27,000 children across municipal schools. The initiative, rooted in teacher empowerment and classroom-centric solutions, is now being hailed as a model for public education reform.

"When I first received the English practice book, I could see the change almost immediately," said Sharmistha Babar, teacher at Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Primary School, Dighi Kanya Shal...