Eighteen countries represented and 600 attendees – an international conference for ELT teachers sponsored by Press India had it all.

Starting, Stimulating and Sustaining English Language Teacher Education and Development was jointly sponsored by the Press and the UK's Canterbury University, and organised by the British Council and The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. Support came from the English Language Teachers' Association of India (ELTAI) and the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL).

The three-day meet, from January 22 to 24, saw active participation from teachers, teacher educators, teacher association representatives and research students.

In his inaugural address, Professor R. Govinda, the Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi, addressed the issue of the availability of teachers, saying that primary schools in many Indian states have insufficient resources to successfully implement the introduction of English language from Grade-I.

Vice-President of Publishing for the Press India, Rajeevan Karal, highlighted the role of the Press in advancing the development of English language teaching in India and the subcontinent.

Professor Ramakant Agnihotri, Department of Linguistics, University of Delhi, emphasised the necessity of using a learner's first language in teaching the second language, leading to a discussion on the need to create bilingual materials for teaching.

The parallel sessions saw paper presentations and workshops on all aspects of English language teaching, especially in the rural context, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and the use of digital technology.

The final plenary session focused on the famous Hole-in-the-Wall project of Indian physicist Sugata Mitra to exemplify how curiosity and the desire to learn are intrinsic in children, poverty, lack of knowledge about technology and English notwithstanding.

Participants from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka reiterated the shared belief that English language teaching is also at the mercy of weak government policies and inadequate infrastructure.