Training and Orientation:

1. Short-term In-service Courses:
With necessary amendment In the Act of 19:h, the Board is now the sole authority to conduct all sorts of training at the primary education level. The important training programmes that have recently been conducted by the Board are enumerated below:

Orientation of teachers in Teaching Science deserves in this connection special mention. A training module in sets has been meticulously developed by the experts basically incorporating into it activity based methods for teaching-learning science with low cost or no-cost materials that are easily available in the locality. A cascadecum-concentric model has been strictly adhered to. A large number of teachers have so far been trained.
It may be mentioned in this connection that the effort on the part of the Board to introduce improved method of science teaching through activity-based module is unique in nature and has drawn wide admiration from the NCERT, the joint Review Mission of DFID which visited us earlier and the UNICEF. The programme created immense enthusiasm and curiosity amongst students, teachers, guardians, educationists and public in general.
For making a study of the impact of the training/orientation already implemented the Board is also thinking to involve trusted organizations for monitoring and feedback. Distribution of science kits also seems to be indispensable.

English Orientation Programme & preparation of English Text Books
Following the recommendations of Pabitra Sarkar Committee for teaching English as second language at the primary level from the second semester of Class II and acting upon the order of the School Education Department, Government of West Bengal, the West Bengal Board of Primary Education introduced the study of English in the year 1999. Thereafter, in 2000-2001, a massive Orientation Programme was conducted by the Board for providing training to more than one lakh primary teachers with the emphasis on the learner's empowerment. In continuation of the previous programme, further initiative was taken by the Board during 2003 in collaboration with the British Council and the English Language Teaching (ELT) experts of our state, i.e, the Institute of English, Kolkata and from other organizations to make the teaching-learning process more effective by empowering the primary teachers so that they may teach English successfully with emphasis on teacher-talk device that may be instrumental to encourage the learners by reciprocating with desired answer.
With that purpose in view the WBBPE arranged for a two-day English Orientation Programme with the ELT experts from British Council and from our State in April 2003 at the AIKATAN COMPLEX Salt Lake City, Kolkata.
The Master Resource Persons discussed in great details the possibilities for exploring specific areas in the text books where teacher-talk could be developed. Following this, a massive training programme was taken up with the warm co-operation and assistance from the British Council Division, Kolkata. The programme was conducted at three phases:
i) School visit from 10.09.2003 to 13.09.2003;
ii) Development of training materials from 14.09.2003 to 19.09.2203 and
iii) Training of the Key Resource Persons from 20.09.2003 to 27.09.2003.

All through this programme, Dr. George Raymond Mackay, the noted ELT Expert from the British Council worked along with other State Experts, conducting very effectively the entire schedule of training in which 75 KRPs took part from all the districts of our State.