Editing a School Notice for Parents
The principal of a government senior secondary school in Ajmer has asked the English teacher to finalise a notice for parents about a remedial English class. The first draft reads:
'Notice All the parents are hereby informed that a remedial class for English is going to be start from 1 August. The class will be held on every Monday and Wednesday from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Those students who is weak in English they must attend the class. Parents are requested to must ensure their ward's presence. No bus facility will be provide. Kindly cooperate. Principal'
The teacher has 30 minutes. Three aims compete: correct the grammar, keep the notice within 60 English words for the school board, and make it understandable to parents with limited literacy. A colleague suggests replacing 'remedial' with 'special class' and adding a Hindi line. The principal has said the English notice must not exceed 60 words but has not forbidden a separate Hindi line.
1. Identify the grammatical and stylistic errors in the draft and rewrite the English notice in 60 words or fewer.
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Main errors:
- “is going to be start” → “will start”.
- “from 1 August” → “on 1 August” for a starting date.
- “on every Monday” → “every Monday”.
- “Those students who is weak in English they” → faulty agreement and redundant pronoun; use “Students who need extra help in English”.
- “requested to must ensure” → double modal; use “requested to ensure”.
- “will be provide” → “will be provided”.
- “ward’s presence” is stiff; “child’s attendance” is clearer.
Rewritten notice (52 words):
Notice Parents are informed that an extra English class will start on 1 August. It will be held every Monday and Wednesday from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Students who need extra help in English must attend. Parents are requested to ensure their child’s attendance. No bus facility will be provided. Principal
2. Should the teacher keep “remedial”, use “special class”, or choose another term? Justify with reference to the audience and the purpose.
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The teacher should choose a clearer, less stigmatising term such as “extra English class” or “English support class”.
- “Remedial” is precise in professional writing, but some parents may read it as a label that the child is deficient. It is also less familiar to parents with limited literacy.
- “Special class” is ambiguous: it can suggest a class for children with disabilities or a privileged enrichment class. That ambiguity can cause rumours or resistance.
- “Extra English class” states the purpose plainly: additional help in one subject. It is short, neutral, and easy to announce orally.
The purpose is to get attendance, not to diagnose children publicly, so clarity and dignity should outweigh technical precision.
3. What should the teacher do about the colleague’s suggestion to add a Hindi line, given the principal’s 60-word limit?
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The teacher should treat the Hindi line as a separate bilingual version, not as part of the 60-word English notice. The principal limited the English notice, not the total board space.
Practical steps:
- Prepare a short Hindi version of the same notice, checked for accuracy and simple wording.
- Ask the principal whether the Hindi line can be placed below the English notice or on a second board.
- If space is strictly limited, keep the English notice at 52 words and use the Hindi line only in the oral assembly announcement and in the parent messaging group.
The teacher should not silently add a long Hindi paragraph that makes the board unreadable. The aim is equal access, not duplication for its own sake.