Calcutta, Dec. 4 :    Calcutta, Dec. 4:  Teach the teachers what to teach the students. That seems to be the motto of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, struggling to cope with the government's decision to re-introduce English at the primary level in about 8,000 schools. 'Many of our English teachers are poor in pronunciation and lack proper teaching methods. The government had instructed school teachers to converse in English with the students during classes. But about 95 per cent of the teachers and students have not developed communication skills,' said Prithwis Bose, leader of the West Bengal Headmasters' Association. As a first step towards schooling the teachers, the Board has decided to train about 40 from all districts in Bengal, including eight from the city, with the help of the British Council. Two experts from London are expected to conduct a workshop on English teaching in mid- January. These 40 teachers will then be considered 'resource persons' and engaged by the Board authorities to improve the skill and ability of English teaching at the secondary-level schools throughout Bengal. Arun Kiran Chakraborty, president of the Board, said: 'After the training, these teachers will go back to their respective schools and help other teachers improve their communication skills and the ability to teach English at the secondary level.' There are plans to select 'at least two teachers from each district'. If necessary, different teachers' organisations will be asked to select their representatives, on the basis of experience and academic excellence. The State Council for Educational Research and Training had, in the past, organised teachers' training programmes. But this is the first time that a proper workshop is being organised with the help of the British Council. The drive to 'improve the standard of English teaching' in government-sponsored schools is ultimately aimed at wooing students from private English medium institutions. At present, about seven lakh students are enrolled in the 8,000 seconday schools in the state. The Bengal government had abolished English from the primary level in 1981, but was forced to reintroduce it in 1998, following a state-wide agitation by several teachers' organisations, students and parents bodies. Now, English is being taught from Class II. But the re-introduction of English at the primary level has not solved the fundamental problem of the poor standards in teaching the language. 'The wide gap between private and government schools is highlighted in the standard of English. There is no denying the importance of English as the universal language in today's competitive world. Without a basic command over the language and the ability to communicate in it, our students will be severely handicapped,' observed a Board official.