Jamshedpur, July 4: Test tubes and Bunsen burners are what a laboratory is all about, right? Wrong. Labs are about phonetics too, says Dayanand Public School.

The reputable ICSE-affiliated English medium cradle in the heart of the city at Sakchi is ready with its unique English language laboratory, the outcome of a tie-up with Mumbai-based Mexus Education, an education solutions provider.

A two-day training for its faculty started today, after which the lab will be ready for actual classes with students from mid-week onwards.

What will the lab do? School principal Swarna Mishra feels it will help students learn and speak English both correctly and fluently, and that too, with the right accent.

“Speaking English fluently is the need of the day. But despite studying in English medium schools, many children cannot speak the language correctly or pronounce words properly. They need guidance and motivation to use the language well in their daily lives. This lab will help our students face the world after school,” the principal said, adding it was for older students from Classes IX to XII.

The software systems have been installed in five classrooms.

“The English language lab helps a child overcome his or her mother tongue influence. It illustrates you the two major accents — US English and UK English — that differ phonetically.

The software includes visuals for understanding, sounds for phonetics and the correct pronunciation that helps a child understand and use the language better,” said Himanshu Roy, trainer with Mexus (Bihar and Jharkhand).

Dayanand Public School is the first private school to get a lab. Loyola School is planning to come up with a similar initiative by year-end. This apart, the school has also installed high-tech digital classrooms for students till Class XII so that various subjects can be taught visually.