CHAPTER – 2

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN INDIA

2.1 THE GLOBAL PRESENCE AND IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH:

It is a well-known fact that English is the most widely used language and the chief vehicle

of international communication in the world today. The term ‗Global English‘ is a product

of the process called globalization. Ideally and ideologically ‗globalization‘ should mean

decolonization and denationalization of a language. David Crystal in his book; ‗English as

a Global language‘ (1997) says: ―A language achieves a genuinely global status when it

develops a special role that is recognized in every country.‖ 1

In this way English language has become the lingua franca in the age of globalization.

Two-thousand year ago, the English language was quite unknown to the world. Today

there are perhaps 1.5 billion people around the world, who use the English language. They

speak English or write in English. There are three hundred and fifty million people who

use the language as their mother tongue and the rest use it as a Foreign or Second

language. It is the only language widely used from China to Peru, and more scattered than

any other language in the world. It is estimated that there are even more users of English

than of Chinese language, a language spoken in eight different verities but written in the

same way by 1.1 billion people.

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To quote Prof. Randolph Quirk, ―Paul Vargheese says that most people who speak English

are not English and were not born in England.‖2 The people, who speak English, fall into

three groups;

a) Those who have inherited it as their native language;

b) Those who have acquired it as a second language with in a society of state that is

largely bilingual; and-

Those that are driven by necessity to use it for some practical

purpose- administrative, professional According to this

estimate, of the 1.5 billion people who ‗know‘ English in

some form or the other about 337 million use English as the

first language (L1) and about 350 million use it as a Second

language (L2) in countries like India, Pakistan, Singapore,

Malaysia, the Philippines, Nigeria and Sri Lanka; in addition,

there may be about 1 to 1.5 billion people who are actively

learning and trying to use English in countries like China,

Japan, Russian and in many other countries in Europe and

South America; this will constitute about a third of the human

race.3

c) Or educational.

David Crystal‘s ‗English as a Global Language‘ gives the estimate about the users of

English taken from various sources.

25
David Crystal says about the importance of English language that, ―it is the language on

which the sun never sets.‖4 After the information technology revolution English has

become useful and essential thing at international level. The British empire of English has

disappeared but the empire of English language has been extending through the whole

world. Now, it has become a neo-colonial empire and its influence and importance is such

that it has become an inevitable and necessary for everyone.

In the 21st Century it has become the world‘s widely spoken language. It is estimated that

about three million users of this language are found all over the world though it is spoken

by one thousand million people, about 16% of world population. It is used as an official or

semi-official language in over 60 countries. Two-thirds of world‘s scientists write in

English. About 80% of the computers use English. Three- quarters of the world‘s mail are

written in English. Around 70 to 75% of advertisements are used in this language. Over

5,000 English newspapers are published all over the world.

In this way we can say that English has come to stay as the language of books, newspaper,

airport, and air traffic control, international business and academic conferences, science

and technology, medicine, diplomacy, sports, international competitions, pop music,

media and advertising. As we have a cursory glance at data which reveals its worldwide

popularity then we see that 50 million children study English as an additional language at

primary level and it is studied at secondary level by over 80 million learners, and while

using internet, the users communicate largely in English. The importance of it we can

know through the fact that some 3,000,000 scientific and technological articles, mostly in

English, are written annually throughout the world. More than 60,000 books in English are

published every year in Britain, America, Australia and other countries.

26
Now we come on the learning and teaching of English language in the world. English

language is the medium of a great deal of the world‘s knowledge especially in such areas

as science and technology. And access to knowledge is the business of education when we

investigate why so many nations have in recent years made English an official language or

chosen it as their chief foreign language in schools and colleges, one of the most important

reasons is always educational- in the broadest sense.

Black South African writer Harry Mashabela, writing in 1975, this, ―Learning and using

English will not only give us the much-needed unifying chord but will also land us into

the exciting world of ideas; it will enable us to keep company with king in the world of

ideas and also make it possible for us to share the experience of our own brothers in the

world ..........‖5

A 1981 study of the use of English in scientific periodical showed that 85% of papers in

biology and physics were being written in English at that time, whereas medical papers

were some 73 per cent and papers in mathematics and chemistry were 69%. All these

areas have shown a significant increase in their use of English. This can be seen in a

language- sensitive subject such as linguistics, where in 1995 nearly 90% of the 1500

papers listed in the journals linguistic abstract were in English.

Since the 1960s, English has become the normal medium of instruction in higher

education for many countries. We can take the growing development of English language

teaching by the fact that-

In 1995-96, over 4,00,000 candidates world-wide sat English

language examinations administrated by council, over half of

these being examinations in English as a foreign language. At

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 that time there were 1, 20,000 students learning English and

other skills through the medium of English in council teaching

centers. With thousands of other schools and centers worldwide

now also devoted to English language teaching, the council

estimated that, by the year, there will be over 1000 million

people learning English.6

Due to its extensive use in all the essential fields of man‘s life and the fact that English is

the language of international communication per excellence, teaching of English as a

foreign or second language has become an important occupation throughout the globe.

There is no country in the world where English is not studied, taught or used. The number

of new learners of English is going up day by day, resulting in a huge demand for English

teachers throughout the globe.

‗Wanted 20,000 new teachers of English in Poland‘- says a report dated August 1992. To

meet this demand Poland is getting held from the British council, the United States

Embassy‘s English teaching office and the British Government‘s know-how fund.

Anticipating this demand Poland also started a programme in 1989 for training 1,000

teachers of EFL per year. Since 1983, English has been taught in all Austrian primary

schools as a ―compulsory exercise‖. It is so in Switzerland and the rest of Central and

Eastern Europe too.

The primacy of English as the language of international aviation, business, commerce,

diplomacy, science and technology shipping, sports and beauty contests, virtually the

lingua-franca of this global village, has created a world-wide demand for qualified EFL

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teachers. Many British speakers of English are becoming EFL teachers in Asia and Africa

with as little as 1 to 10 weeks training. Some are allegedly doing so without even this.

In short, of all the languages in the world today English deserves to be regarded as a

‗World-language‘ being the common means of communication between the people of

different nations. The U.N.O. has given English the status of being an official language.

These days every country needs other country‘s help in political, social, economic and

cultural matters. There comes English as a rescue. English fulfills this need- this prompted

V.K. Gokak to say- ―It would be rash to cure ourselves off from the English language

which keeps us in continuous content with the latest thought in Europe, in every field of

life and culture.‖7

Almost the world over, whether as ‗Mother-tongue‘ or as a ‗foreign or second language‘,

English is being used one way or another. This fact, more than any other, make English

merit the status of a world-language.

English is being learnt and used all over the world not out of any imposition but through

the realization that it has certain inherent advantages. Today the compulsions of learning

English are no longer nearly political but scientific and technological. And no longer is

English the language of Great Britain only; it is the language required by the world for

greater understanding, ―It is the most international of the languages.‖8

2.2 ENGLISH BEFORE INDEPENDENCE AND ENGLISH NOW IN INDIA:

2.2.1 Place of English before Independence-

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India inherited ‗English‘ from the Britishers who ruled our country for more than two

centuries. For over 200 years Indian intellectuals have been studying English. Today

English has entered the fabric of Indian culture. English education in India began with the

year 1765, when the East India Company became a political power. The first six decades

of English education in India did not witness any remarkable progress. Firstly Macaulay‘s

Minutes (1835) paved the way for the development of English in India by making its study

compulsory. His this famous minute on education became the ‗Manifesto of English

Education‘ in India. Macaulay‘s minute is very clear and unambiguous about the goals of

English education in India-

We must at present do our best to form a class who may be

interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern a

class of persons, Indian in blood and color, but English in

taste, in opinions, in morals and in intellect. To that class we

may leave it to redefine the vernacular dialects in our

country, to enrich those dialects with of science borrowed

from the western none culture and to render them by degrees

fit vehicles for conveying knowledge to the great mass of

the population.9

Explaining the importance of English in his minutes Macaulay says, ―English stands pre-

eminent among the languages of the west, whoever knows that language has ready access

to all the west intellectual wealth which all the wise nations of the earth have created."10

He was of the view that the need for English education in India was even greater than that

for Sanskrit or Arabic. Indians themselves, including the patriots like Raja Ram Mohan

30
Roy preferred English education. Macaulay‘s plan that English should be taught in India,

was further endorsed by Lord William Bentic and Lord Auckland who diverted all funds

to the development of English education. But Macaulay‘s dream of completely

Anglicizing India mentally and intellectually was not fulfilled; nor did his expectation that

―Indians would renounce their past history; traditions and culture come true.‖11

This was because he had completely ignored the fact that India had an ancient culture and

her own heritage besides having her own language with their cultures. But this scheme

resulted in the adoption of English as the ‗official language‘ of education in, 1837. The

government policy was to establish English schools or Anglo- vernacular schools in each

district. Good English schools were given the status of colleges.

As a result of this system of education, English became the unifying force in India because

it was used for internal communication. Besides, many English educated Indians could

think and express themselves as effectively as the English.

Macaulay‘s role in regard to English education in India has been interpreted in various

ways. Some people have condemned him as an enemy of India and he has been admired as

a great benefactor of India by others. English was the ‗official language‘ in India and it

played a significant role in schools and college curricula as well as in daily life.

Meanwhile people also began to think the English was a foreign plant transplanted in the

Indian soil and were doing immense harm to the growth of our nation. As a result in 1904,

a government resolution suggested that medium of instructions in the middle class should

be the mother tongue and English should not be taught before the age of thirteen.

Nevertheless the Calcutta University Commission (1917) supported Bilingualism‘. Thus

English continued to dominate the curriculum of Indian schools, college and Universities.

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The most efforts of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century were made on the

supremacy of English language and literature. Dr. Zakir Hussain Committee of Basic

Education (1938) recommended that the proper teaching of the mother tongue is the

foundation of all education, without the capacity to speak effectively and to read and write

correctly and lucidly, no one can develop precision of thought and clarity of ideas. This

committee included a seven year course of Basic education. And this course of Basic

education emphasized the importance of the mother tongue.

The constituent Assembly of 1949 indicated the significance of English in India. Hindi

was a threat to the South Indians by North Indians who supported the importance of

English in India. Although English was not listed in the schedule VIII of the constitution,

It was given the status of the associate official language for a period of 15 fifteen years.

2.2.2 Place of English after Independence -

After Independence drastic changes came regarding the place of English in India .Since it

was a language of the rulers who had exercised cruelties over Indians, the first reaction

was to dethrone English from its exalted position. As a consequence –

First, Hindi in Devnagri script was declared the official language of the Union by Indian

Constitution .In order to give Hindi sufficient time to replace English as an official

language ,English was declared to continue as an associate language for a period of 15

years ,that is ,till 1965. Second, English did not remain the medium of instruction .Third;

regional languages became the medium of examinations. Fourth, English ceased to be a

compulsory subject. Fifth, the state governments started using regional languages in

administration. It is obvious that English did not have the same place after independence

which it had in days before independence. Now, there had been no clarity regarding the

32
goals of education in general, English education in particular and the status of English. All

the commissions and committees appointed to the study of the problem of education in

India have emphasized the importance of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction

and the study of English as a subject; these were emphasized earlier by all the committees

and commissions, starting with the wood‘s Dispatch. All the recommendations are well

entrenched in the educational system of India; English got institutionalized in India and it

got its own identity after 1947. After independence the question of language become more

emotional. The constitution of India has given Hindi in Devanagari script the status of the

official language of the country. The first national language among the fourteen was

recognized in the 8th schedule.

Prime Minister Nehru declared that it was government‘s policy to shake India free of

English with in a generation; he declared a speech on August7, 1959 -

......For an indefinite period-I don‘t know how long - I should

have, I would have, English as an associate, additional

language which be used, not because of facilities and all that,

but certain doors of advance are closed to them because they

are forced to correspond- the government, I mean- in the

Hindi language. They can correspond in English. So I would

have it as an alternative language, as long as people require it

and the decision for that; I would, leave not to Hindi- knowing

people, but to non-Hindi knowing people.12

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The Chief Minister‘s Conference (1961) concluded, English should be taught along with

Hindi in order to get ‗outside affairs‘ for All India Services, for engineering, medical, and

forest departments.

The Indian Education Commission of 1966 also is recognized the importance of English in

this statement, ―….The English should be the most useful ‗library language‘ in higher

education and our most significant window on the world.‖13

In the conference of Vice - Chancellors in New Delhi (1969), Sri, V. K. R. V. Rao,

Education Minister of India, expressed his opinion as, ―Far from abolishing English

University students will, in future, have to acquire an adequate command over English to

read and understand English books in their chosen subjects and use English as their library

language.‖14

After Nehru‘s death in 1964, two in self-immolation and sixty-six killed in madras with

the slogan, ―Hindi Never, English Ever‖, forced the government to pass 1967 Official

Language Amendment Act, assuring the continuance of English in addition to Hindi as the

official language of the union. In reality, English is still the language that examines

students in the universities, conducts foreign affairs and transacts business with the world

outside; the numbers of learners waiting to learn English is increasing day by day.

The first education commission to be appointed in free India was the ‗University

Education Commission‘ and again only the tertiary level received attention first in this

commission and for the medium of instruction for higher education English to be replaced

as early as practicable by an Indian language which cannot be Sanskrit on account of vital

difficulties. The commission however recommended the continuance of the study of

English. It said that English should be studied in high schools and in the Universities in

34
order that we might keep ourselves in touch with the living stream of ever growing

knowledge.

The Kunzru Committee, 1955 recommended that the teaching of English literature should

be related to the study of Indian literature so that apart from its value for linguistic

purposes, it could be an effective means of stimulating critical thinking and writing in the

Indian languages. The committee stressed the importance of the use of special methods in

English language teaching and the study of linguistics. The three language formula was

proposed by the conference of Chief Ministers, which was held in 1961, recommended in

schools, this meant-

a) The regional language, or the mother tongue when different from the regional

language;

b) Hindi, or any other Indian language in Hindi speaking area; and

c) English or any other European language.

This formula was modified by the Kothari Commission (1964-66), which advocated

regional languages for self-identity, Hindi or Sanskrit for national identity and English for

technological and administrative purpose as well as for international identity. But in spite

of such reports the emphasis on English at the cost of Indian languages continued. In this

way after Independence, many commissions came for the improvement of the English

language learning in the schools and colleges.

2.2.3 Place of English in Present days –

In the present scenario, India has two national languages for central administrative

purpose. They are Hindi and English. Hindi is the national official and main link language

35
in India. English is an associate language. The Indian constitution also officially approves

twenty two regional languages for official purpose.

In present time, English serves two purposes. First, it provides a linguistic tool for the

administrative cohesiveness of the country, causing people who speak different languages

to become united. Secondly it serves as a language of wider communication, including a

large variety of different people covering a vast area.

Generally, English is used among Indians as a ‗link language and virtually it is the first

language for many well educated Indians. It is the second language for many, who speak

more than one language in India. The English language is a tie that helps bind the many

segments of our society together. Also it is a linguistic bridge between the major countries

of the world and India.

Now it has a special national status in India. It has a special place in the parliament,

judiciary, broadcasting, journalism and in the education system. One find surrounded by

English everywhere. The importance of the ability to speak or write English has recently

increased significantly because English has become the defected standard. Learning

English language has become popular for business, commerce and cultural reasons and

especially for internet communication. Modern communications, videos, Journals and

newspapers on the internet use English and have made ‗Knowing English‘ indispensable.

In this way we can say that English language has become as an ; ‗official language‘

‗associate language‘, ‗associate additional language‘, ‗library language‘, ‗tool language‘,

‗compulsory language‘, ‗optional language‘, ‗additional optional language‘, ‗language of

wider communication,‘ ‗language of need filling‘. According to an estimate,

36
 In 1989, one third of all the published books in India, and one fifth

of the periodicals are in English. According to the 1981 census, the

literacy rate in India is 32.23 percent, and the English literacy rate

may be about 6.5 percent; this will roughly mean bout 25 to 30

million users of English in the country.15

There are very few countries in the world where English is taught on such a massive scale

as in India. Unfortunately, it is equally true that in very few does the profession suffer

from a greater sense of frustration and helplessness than here.

According to a recent report, those who speak English fluently earn up to 34% more and

those who speak a little English earn about 13% higher on average than those who don‘t.

But only 20% of Indians can speak English, and only 4% can do so fluently.

Today, in India English education is often expensive and difficult to access. In most

government –funded schools, which account for about 70% of school education, the

medium of instruction is Hindi or the local languages. No wonder poor parents willingly

opt for not –so –cheap private school education. The number of children enrolled in

English –medium schools have more than doubled since the turn of the century. English as

the medium of instruction, which was in fourth place behind Hindi, Bengali and Marathi

in 2006, is now next only to Hindi, and will soon overtake it. The government must

recognize and address this need by vastly improving the quality of English education in its

school. The benefits to society from this relatively small investment would be enormous.

The hypocrisy of some politicians who advocate vernacular education for the masses

while sending their own children to English –medium schools must be allowed to derail

this effort.

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Even after knowing the Importance of English, the Indian students have no inclination

towards learning English and studying in English medium schools. There are less than

25% students studying in English medium schools in Bihar, U.P. and West Bengal along

with north –mid India whereas this data is 75% in South India.

The following pages are intended to give an idea of the growth in the number of

educational institutions and the development of education-basically English education-in

India.

 Statistical Description of Education in India (2014 - 15):

Table: 2.1

1. Primary Schools 7,48,547

2. Upper Primary Schools 1,31,215

3. Secondary Schools 13,12,15

4. Senior Secondary Schools 72,046

Total = 13, 99,408

(Source: Education in India, Rajasthan Patrika, 2014.)

 Enrolment of Students & Teachers in these Institutions(2014 - 15):

Table: 2.2

1. Enrolment of Students 4,69,30,000

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 2. Teachers in Schools 64,94,000

3. Teachers in Higher Education 08 Lakh

(Source: Education in India, Rajasthan Patrika , 2014.)

India must meet the globally accepted norm of central and state government spending at

least 6% of GDP on education rather than the roughly 4% that states and center put

together spend currently. This is essential if the shocking dropout rate of about 50% by

class 10 is to be brought down, and the gross enrolment ratio in higher education rose

beyond the current 16-17%. That number compares poorly with china‘s 24%not to

mention the OECD‘s 62%. The Center must take the lead in this.

 Some Background Information related with Education in India (in %)(2014 -

15):

Table: 2.3

1 Can read& write 9.5% 4 Graduate 12.5%

2 Standard 1-5 15.4% 5 Post-Graduate/ Technical 3.5%

3 Standard 6-12 33.7 6 Illiterate 25.6

39
Pie Chart: 1

Education

can read& write

standard 1-5

Standard6-12

Graduate

(Source: Background Information of voters by region, DNA, March18, 2014)

In the field of higher education India is far behind China and Brazil. With only 1% of

India‘s student population enrolled as post –graduate researchers, the report puts India far

behind neighboring China. India also has a low rate of enrolment in higher education, at

only 18%, compared with 26% in China and 36% in Brazil. 30-40%teaching posts are

vacant, means India‘s academia is drastically understaffed.

What the study Found: Rate of Enrolment in Higher Education :

India18%

China26%

Brazil40%

40
Pie Chart : 2

(Source: India way behind China in Science, Eng., PhDs, Hindustan Times Tuesday,

May20, 2014, Pg. 8.)

The chart on this page is intended to give an idea of the growth in the number of

educational institutions and the development of education-basically English education in

India. The position of English as a medium of all India competitive examination continues

to be strong in spite of the introduction of regional languages as alternative media.

According to a survey conducted by a special evaluation unit of the Union Public Service

Commission in 1969 more than 85 percent of the candidates answered their compulsory

papers in English.

In spite the big expansion of higher education system, 250 years of English language

teaching, at least 150 years of English language publishing; 60 years of radio broad

casting in English and efforts made by CIEFCL and a large number of ELT centers

throughout the country the results appear to be negligible. In 1901 for example, 0.04%

41
Indians could speaks in English. Even today not many Indians use English. The state of

English is on the whole far from satisfaction.

Prator holds the view that English in India is, ―Mastered by a small minority of (3%) the

population‖16 most of whom have an imperfect command of only a limited position of

language.

Two study groups were also appointed in 1965 and 1969 respectively by the Ministry of

Education and Youth Services, Government of India to inquire into the current state of

teaching of English in India. Both the groups were headed by Prof V.K. Gokak, the first

director of the Central Institute of English and Foreign Language Hyderabad. The findings

of the first study group revealed that the standards of English in India have deteriorated

very fast in our schools and colleges where students can‘t write or speak a single correct

sentence in English. The findings of educations commission (1966) and the study group

(1970) are also the same.

English is studied as a second language in India and one‘s mother tongue habits are likely

to stand in one way. Robert Lado has rightly observed, ―the inference of the students‘

mother tongue accounts for a number of errors and difficulties that occurs at the time of

learning and afterwards in the use of second language‖.17

Keeping in view the importance of English, a deserving place should be assigned to this

language in our school –curriculum .In this connection; the recommendations of the Indian

Education Commission (Kothari Commission) can be reviewed:

a) Only one language which will be the regional language will be taught

during lower primary classes, i.e., from Ist to Vth class.

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 b) From Vth to VII class, two languages will be taught .One of them will be

the regional language .The other can be either Hindi or English. A third

language can be studied as an optional subject.

c) From class VIII to X, three languages will be taught .One of these will be

the regional. For non –Hindi speaking students, it can be Hindi .The Third

will be Foreign language, i.e., English.

d) After X class, language study will be optional.

This three language formula has the following characteristics:-

I. With the application of this formula, some student can read English for 6 years

.That is, from V classes and others can read it only for 3 years, that is, from VIII

to X. But all students have to study English.

II. This formula gives ample scope to those who are much interested in this

language, because it can be opted from class 5th.

III. This formula recommends that English should not be taught at elementary stage,

that is, from 1st to 6th classes. This seems plausible because Michael West and

many teachers are of the view that second language should be taught after pupils

develop a good grounding in their mother –tongue. Peter Wingard has also

opposed the introduction of English in elementary stage as it increases the

proportion of wasted teaching to pupils, who never get far enough really to be

able to use their English.

IV. It gives appropriate place to both Hindi and regional languages, without

distorting the place of English.

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This three languages formula can be applied in order to have English at a suitable place in

school - curriculum .It should be noted that at the lower secondary stage ,English should

cease to be taught as literature because during this stage , study of English as literature

has given unhappy results .For this we can take H.Kabir‘ suggestion which is -

We must remodel our courses in English at the secondary stage

and recognize that the learning of English is not an end in itself

but only the acquisition of an instrument for adding to our

knowledge .The emphasis must ‗therefore ,shift from literature

to the simple languages of every day.18

2.3 OBJECTIVES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN INDIA:

Language is usually thought of as a means of communication. A human society needs

language for internal communication between its members as well as for external

communication with other societies and to express and record its culture. ―Language is

thus seen as a part of human psychology, a particular sort of behaviour, the behaviour

which has its principal function that of communication.‖19 Explaining the functions of a

language, Prof. A. Antony says,

Language is a means of communication. Communication

can be with in and out of side the speech community. In

addition to these, language is a means by which the culture

of the community is expressed and recorded. Thus

language can fulfill two functions, communicative

function and cultural function. But the primary function of

a language is communicative.20

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Language, when used for communication is a tool and the handling of any tool requires a

certain skill. When a child is born in a community, it hears the language spoken by that

community. When the child has been exposed to speech for sufficiently long time, it tries

to imitate the speech sounds that it has been listening to for a considerable time. Thus the

most important and natural language skills are listening and speaking.

The objective of teaching a language or language is not simply to make the learner learn

the major language skills but to enable the learners to play their communicative roles

effectively and to select languages, registers styles according to the roles they are playing.

According to Pit Corder the object in teaching a language,

……..is to enable the learner to behave in such a way that he

can participate to some degree and for certain purpose as a

member of a community other than his own. The degree to

which any particular learner may wish to participate will vary.

He may seek only to read technical literature, or he may wish to

preach the gospel in a foreign country. These varying degrees of

participation require different levels of skill in language

performance.21

The objective of teaching English as a Second language in India have to be formulated in

the light of what we perceive our needs for English to be in a multilingual setting, at both

the national and individual levels. This is related to the following questions; what are the

roles of Hindi, English, regional languages, classical languages, foreign languages, and

languages of the minority groups in our multilingual setting? What are the topics and

situations that will necessitate the use of English? What is the kind and amount of English

45
that the learners will need? A functional approach to language, according to Halliday,

―means......... investigating how language is used; trying to find out what are the purposes

that language serves for us, and how we are able to achieve these purposes through

speaking listening, reading and writing‖.22

At the national level, English must serve as our ‗window on the world‘, as the language in

which nearly all contemporary knowledge is accessible. It is a means of observing and

learning about people, especially those of other countries. English is rightly called a

pipeline for the stream of western thoughts.

Keeping in view these functions, the primary aim of teaching English as a Second

language at the secondary level should be to give the learners an effective mastery of the

language, that is to help them acquire –

(1) Ability to read easily and with understanding, books in English written with in a

prescribed range of vocabulary and sentence structure, and to read with good

understanding (if not with seep) easy un-simplified texts on familiar topics, fully

grossed and annotated in their known language;

(2) The readiness to proceed to a more advanced reading stage, that of reading un-

simplified texts, particularly those bound up with personal studies and interests,

with the help of bilingual dictionaries;

(3) Ability to understand a talk in English on a subject of general experience and

interest, clearly spoken and restricted in vocabulary and sentence structure to the

range of the syllabus;

46
 (4) Ability to write comprehensibly in English, and without gross errors, on a familiar

topic which lends itself to expression within the range of vocabulary and sentence

structure that has been taught;

(5) Ability to carry on comprehensibly a conversation in English on a topic fully

within the range of active command postulated by the syllabus.

2.3.1 Objective of Teaching English at Junior and Senior Levels -

L. A. C. Strong once proclaimed, ―for us who speak English, English is everything

…………English is not a subject, English is our life.‖23 But this is not true for English in

India, because here it is a foreign language. It is taught as a second or a third language in

schools .Its teaching and learning in schools is inspired by one aim – the utilitarian aim.

This aim can be achieved by acquiring practical command of English. Yet ,clear cut

objectives should be stated , so that good planning can be done and right type of methods

and techniques of teaching can be adopted ,as pointed out by P. Gurrey , ―The careful

thinking out of a detailed and well defined objectives for the lessons will do more than

almost anything else to improve a teacher‘s work and to make it effective‖24

The two main objectives of English teaching are: -

i. Language Development

ii. Literary Development

With the advancement of class and age of students, these two objectives will differ.

2.3.1.1 Objectives at Junior Level –

The junior level is the lower secondary stage consisting of classes V, VI, VII, and VIII.

During this level, the chief aim of English is language development. This means that

47
English should be taught not as literature but as language , as pointed out by P .Gurrey , ―

Our chief concern should not be about the difficulties of pronunciation ,growth of

vocabulary , grammar and structure but with language abilities‖.25 At this stage, language

development is not only the chief objective but also the only objective.

Fourfold Objectives of Language Teaching: These four-fold objectives of language

teaching can be drawn from four aspects of language. The four aspects of language are:

I. Semantic – related to understanding

II. Phonetic – deals, with sounds, spelling, pronunciation

III. Graphic – related to writing and

IV. Phonetic –cum –Graphic –deals with reading

These four aspects indicate four objectives of English language teaching at junior level,

which are:-

a) To understand spoken language

b) To speak the language

c) To write the language

d) To read the language.

These four-fold objectives have been recommended by many scholars, e.g. - P. Gurrey, ―It

is necessary that the Indian pupil should not only understand English when it is spoken or

written, but also he should himself be able to speak and write it‖.26 For the proper

development of language, passive as well as active command is needed.

2.3.1.2 Objectives at Senior Level -

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Senior level is higher secondary level consisting of IX, X, XI, and XII classes. The

objectives of English teaching at this level are both:

I. Language Development

II. Literary Development

It means that along with the four –fold objectives of language development which are

related to listening, speaking, writing and reading, the literary development is also an

important objective at higher secondary level. Studying English literature can facilitate

this development.

The objectives which come under language development will remain the same as in junior

level or lower secondary level or during higher secondary level. The literary objectives

will be:-

i. Development of a taste for English Literature by reading prose, poetry, story etc.,

ii. Drawing aesthetic pleasure from reading English Literature ,

iii. Understanding critical views ,

iv. Development of translating ability and

v. Developing creative interest in English literature.

In short, the main objectives of English teaching, level-wise, can be shown as follows:-

Levels

Junior level Senior level

Language Development Language and Literary Development

Objectives Objectives

49
2. 3.2 Curricular Objectives –

We do need to remind ourselves of some of the basic facts about the nature and

acquisition of language before we formulate the objectives of English Language Teaching.

Some of these are following:

 Every child is born with a Language Faculty that enables her to acquire as many

languages as she needs.

 Languages can‘t be taught; they are acquired. They are acquired as the child‘s

Language Faculty Interacts with processes of socialization and language becomes

inextricably linked with the social, political, gender, and power structures of

society.

 It is not possible for teachers to teach the rules of language simply because they

don‘t know them (not their fault at all; what is available in the name of school

grammar and what is taught as grammar is often inadequate and wrong). The child

has the potential to acquire the most complex rules at the levels of sounds, words,

sentences and discourse on her own.

 No amount of formal teaching of grammar can promote the levels of creativity and

fluency and accuracy that a child so effortlessly displays at a very young age

without any formal intervention. In fact, most parents enjoy and celebrate the

‗errors‘ children make in the process of learning.

 There is no reason to believe that what works in the acquisition of first languages

in childhood will not work, with some careful effort, in the acquisition of

additional languages.

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  The role of the teacher is not to teach the rules of grammar or paraphrase texts but

as has often reminded us, to facilitate maximal exposure to language being used in

different domains in anxiety – free situations. The tasks that children undertake

should have the message at their center and children should feel engaged in

activities that would challenge their thinking abilities; as thought is not divorced

from language, language proficiency will automatically develop.

 Language flourishes in each other‘s company; their nature is fundamentally

porous; they tend to wither away if they are isolated from languages.

 ‗Errors‘ are necessary stages in the path of language acquisition; they

automatically disappear in due course. The amount of time a teacher spends on

‗correcting errors‘(they are not errors if seen in terms of the system a child has at

that point of time) could be more usefully spent on carefully planned language

exposure and innovative activities.

 Language is not a set of skills. It is not a sum of LSRW (Listening, Speaking

.Reading and Writing) as stated above, it is constitutive of us; it is at once an

instrument and a product and it is difficult to conceptualize a disjunction between

two at any points. If anything, it needs to be seen as a system of unique knowledge.

 Language is best acquired in a holistic context where a total text (it could be a

picture, a couplet, a story or an advertisement) is at the center of classroom

activity.

There is nothing special about teaching of English in India. The fundamental principles of

language acquisition do not change. However, the political economy of English in India is

quite a different matter. The teaching of English therefore has to be planned far more

51
carefully .It is on the one hand the language of opportunity , social status and upward

social mobility and on the other hand ,in glove with the processes that consistently

enlarge the distance between the elite and the marginalized .We therefore need to ensure

that every child attains a high level of proficiency in English without losing any of her

own languages; and also exploit the teaching of English as a space for generating

subversive discourses. As to the more specific goals of language curriculum, it is perhaps

best to turn to the position paper on the Teaching of English of the National Curriculum

Framework (NCERT2005). A national curriculum should aim for:―a cohesive curricular

policy based on guiding principles for language teaching and acquisition, which allows

for a variety of implementations suitable to local needs and resources……‖27

2.3.3 Obstacles in the Realization of Objectives -

It would not take long to realize that not everything is well with the teaching of English in

India today. With all its innumerable instructional objectives like the aural-oral skills of

listening and speaking, graphic skills of reading and writing, appreciation, etc., it has

become one of the most difficult subjects to teach in the Indian situation. This is all the

more so because English is a language seldom was in the streets of India. Perhaps, the

classrooms and the libraries are the only places where the language could possibly be

learned. Leave alone the complexities of the skills involved alienation and other problems

such as differences in the levels of initiation of instruction, differences in the socio-

economic status, differences in urban and rural background, paucity of teachers well-

versed in content matter as well as the methodology of teaching, lack of adequate aids and

instructional material, hamper in their own way the successful handling of English in the

classroom. Besides, there are the problems created by over-crowded classrooms,

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indifferent students, parents and educators. Under such conditions, the teacher resorts to a

kind of ‗hit or miss‘ type of instruction which very often fails to click.

For many decades teaching English whether for beginners or for the advanced learners has

been a challenging pursuit for the teachers of English especially the area that cover the

acquisition of four skills of language –‗ Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing‘.

However, if we browse through the studies made on these four language skills, we find

that listening has been the most neglected area of study, due to the misconception fostered

by many of us that we imbibe this skill as we mentally mature. We take this language skill

for granted under the assumption that without any conscious efforts, facility in listening

can wholly be acquired. Proper training of teachers is of great importance in improving the

quality of English education. With the rapidly changing conditions in the life of the people

in the world, the old system of teacher training no longer seems to meet the requirements

of our schools and society. It is however difficult to reform the teacher training system

very quickly and in a direction which is not heavily based upon the mastery of the subject

matter. There is still considerable scope for research in teaching in order to discover the

specific competencies which the teacher should develop. It is equally important to develop

a training system which will not only encourage the development of such competencies in

the short run, but will also sustain it at a desirable level. Especially in the case of the

language teacher, the language skills are acquired strictly so that in future they can make

their students imbibe it at the very early stage of their learning.

The objectives of English teaching discussed in preceding pages are seldom realized in

practice. There are some obstacles which come in the path of realization of objectives,

which are-

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 i. There are administrative as well as financial problems of schools which hinder the

realization of these objectives.

ii. There is a lack of good and trained English teachers.

iii. The classes are so crowded that it becomes almost impossible for the teacher to

get acquainted with the progress in English teaching realized

iv. Much work load on teachers does not allow them to devote fully getting the

objectives of English teaching realized

v. Lack of teaching aptitude in teachers is in no way the least noteworthy obstacles.

2.4 SOME CHALLENGES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED:

The Right to Education Act was enacted on April 1, 2010, to provide free and compulsory

quality elementary education for all children. Now all states have notified RTE rules.

According to Urmila Sarkar, Chief of Education, no doubt in last four years we are

progressing but despite this there are some challenges that need to be addressed:

I. In our Country there are 41% children who drop out of school before

completing class VIII.

II. There are 37% primary schools do not comply with PTR norms.(PTR: Pupil

Teacher Ratio)

Adding more to it, the fact is that in our country there is a lack of 1.50 lakh Schools and

the shortness of 12 lakh teachers. There is a big difference between government schools

and private schools. The government schools are in the poorer situation. In most of

schools there is the absence of building, labs (language lab), subject teachers, electricity,

water, playground and even the toilets.

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One of the primary causes is believed the contradictory cries and slogans that are raised by

leaders and those in authority regarding the future of English in the country. While some

responsible educators lay stress frequently on the importance of retaining English for the

time being as a Lingua franca, and as the main language for university studies, as well as

the easiest way of communicating with the rest of the world, there are others who

proclaims from the housetops that the teaching of English is to be eliminated entirely from

our schools and colleges. The daily newspapers have, of late, devoted several columns

almost every week to vehement pronouncements of advocates of both schools of thought.

This interminable debate has been continuing for the last two years or more with

increasing zeal and fervor, and the pendulum of public opinion sways violently from side

to side. The result of all this is that the teacher of English is like a bark without an anchor,

and has grave doubts about the relative place and importance of the subject he is teaching.

Many parents get confused, similarly, and do not know whether it is worthwhile insisting

on their children acquiring proficiency in English at the cost of much time and effort. A

major result of this indecision and conflict of opinions is that three different types of

institutions with varying objectives with regard to the teaching of English continue to exist

side by side in the country. Those parents who believe that the mastery of the English

language by a child from the earlier age is absolutely essential and a passport to success in

life, send their children to the English medium schools- these are the public schools, and

some of the private as well as private –aided schools. Here the sons and daughters of the

privileged few, who can afford high fees, learn English as a first language .English is the

medium of instruction, and teachers speak English fluently themselves. Infect the selection

of the staff is based on the assumption that they have a mastery over English. Many of

55
these schools prepare students for the State‘s Higher Secondary, High School,

Matriculation, School Leaving Examinations, or in some cases for the Cambridge or

Indian Schools Certificate Examinations. It has been calculated that roughly one to two

percent of pupils in the secondary schools in various States, attend these schools.

The seconds type of schools are the Government , local body and private –aided

institutions where English is taught at the secondary stage only , commencing from the

5th or 6th year for a period of 5or 6 years. Here English is second language and is not

employed as medium of instruction. Quite a number of these schools used to have English

as a subject from the lowest classes(primary stage) before independence ,hence students of

these schools(who left school two decades or more ago , had a knowledge of and mastery

over English which the student of similar schools today lacks. It has been calculated

that roughly 90 to 95 % children of the total school going population at the secondary

stage attend this second type of school.

The third type of institution exists in some States. Here side by side with schools of the

second category are schools where English has the status of an optional subject. In these

States 40 to 50% of students at the secondary level attend these schools, roughly 40 to 50

percent go to schools of the second category, and another 1% to 2% is found in the

institutions of the first type.

A glance at the above categories of schools and the attainments of the students of these

schools in English reveals the second cause of the so –called deterioration in standards.

When a comparison of standards of achievement in English is made , the results

display vast disparity , students from the second and the third type of institution cannot

speak in English fluently ; they cannot write correctly , and the examiner or inspector

56
gives a verdict which is most unfavorable for the latter two. The third cause of the

decline, if any, may be laid at the door of the policy of ‗education of many‘ or quantitative

expansion rather than qualitative consolidation. Our Constitution gives every child the

right to education, and hence education is not the special preserve of the privileged few,

as before. Naturally when very few went to school, the number of backward students

and under –achievers were correspondingly limited ;now that the masses go to school,

the number of the backward and the under –achievers has increased tremendously ( ten

times approximately ) and the proportion increases from day to day for the last many

years .

Arising out of the third cause, would be, I believe the fourth one – where are the teachers

of English for the vastly increased numbers of school children in the secondary schools?

Not many like to become teachers of English , knowing the precarious position of

English in the secondary schools , and those teachers who do have a mastery over

English have often been absorbed in administrative positions and are not available for

teaching . Very few, if at all, of the teachers who teach English are really qualified or

trained to teach English and there are large numbers of them in the Government, local

body and private aided schools of the category. Accordingly their approach to English

teaching is not the oral or natural one .Emphasis on translation and formal grammar is the

method adopted, and the atmosphere of the class room is not a free and happy one.

A fifth cause again, arises out of the rapid expansion of education for the masses. As

mentioned earlier, the tenfold or more increase in number of pupils at the secondary level

has presented the following grave problems inside the school -

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 I. The burden of over-crowded classes. It is not unusual to see as many as 60 or more

students in the 9th or 10th class. In such a situation, the attention that the teacher

devotes to the individual student is shockingly inadequate. The result is that

corrections are few; the students acquire wrong speech habits, cannot master the

structures and the idiom of the language, are perplexed by its irregularity and begin

to de-test it.

II. The level of over –crowding in the class rooms is further aggravated by the un-

suitability of desks and seating facilities – wrong poster and discomfort lead to

poor handwriting and slovenly work .

III. Besides this, in many states, text –books and readers are specially prepared for the

schools. It is seen that in a large number of these text-books and readers there are

many errors in spelling, syntax and grammar. Some of the essays and poems are

reproduced wrongly from the English classics and have many mistakes in them.

The type, printing, and get-up of some of these books are most unsatisfactory and

unattractive and produce a hatred for the subject in the mind of the student.

IV. Facilities for reading of extra books in English are lacking or very limited. Very

few books have easy graded story books for students, and thus the joy of reading

for pleasure, in English is denied them.

V. Lack of audio- visual aids for modern language teaching as well as the ignorance

among teachers concerning the importance of such aids is another cause. Teachers

do not realize that some elementary aids can be adapted and made for classroom

use.

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 VI. The methods of testing used in English are out of date, instead of oral tests, and

objective methods, the old essay –type of examination predominates and holds its

sway in the English classroom.

VII. One of the main causes has been the uncertain and vacillating policies of the

Central and State Governments over the past few years .In the early days of

Independence, English was abolished overnight in some States by a stroke of the

pen. In the old Bombay state for example, a directive from the Education

Department forbade the teaching of English even after school hours. Many schools

had to revert to the vernacular medium and teach English only in the last three or

four years of the secondary schools. At the end of this period when the pupils

were just getting over to the ‗Mary had a little lamb‘ stage they were expected to

listen to, understand and digest advanced professors, at the University level. This

has resulted in completed chaos; even today colleges have to hold special tutorial

classes in English to enable students to follow the lectures.

VIII. The policies of the Government are not consistent or uniform. Some states had it

one way and some another. At the Centre the password for entry in the important

service was ‗English‘. One of the immediate results of these policies was an influx

of pupils from the vernacular medium schools which were at a definite advantage.

Today there has been a reversion of policies. English has been introduced in many

States from standard V and in Bombay city at any rate quite a good few of the

vernacular medium schools have; switched over to the English medium. The net

result of all this has been that at least one generation of pupils has suffered.

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 IX. These policies have led to a reduction of the number of periods given to the

teaching of English which would naturally cause standards to deteriorate.

Overcrowding of classrooms, unsatisfactory conditions of teaching, insufficient

materials and equipment have also helped towards this.

X. Unsuitable textbooks are a contributory factor in the deterioration of standards in

the English. Though the textbook is not ‗all in all‘in the teaching of a language it is

a necessary tool, for the child‘s ability to read and understand can only be

accomplished through the medium of the textbook.

XI. The content of the English textbooks is stilted and artificial. One of the reasons for

this is that the writing of these books is done by people who do not measure up to

the job.

XII. Secondly they have to adhere to the directive issued to them that all textbooks for

English must have an Indian atmosphere. This may be sound in the principle but

it has been carried to the point of the ridiculous. If an Indian atmosphere is to be

introduced it must be done in a normal natural way. After all, if an English child is

learning French he can only study French books with a French atmosphere. True, it

is necessary to avoid teaching Indian children a lesson without a ‗snowdrop‘ or an

‗elm tree‘ which they will perhaps never see, but the highly artificial manner in

which an effort is made to make every lesson an Indian one is absurd .

XIII. The most important reason for falling standards in English, viz., the teacher. There

has been a lack of teachers in English. A large number of them can neither speak

the language nor write it correctly. They have no clear idea about the aims they

have to achieve. They lack imagination and realization. Therefore it is not enough

60
 for teachers to teach a set text book or to teach rules of grammar or paraphrases or

write a piece or essay without teaching children the effective use of words and

expression and increasing their skill in handling English as a medium of

expression . Language as it is being taught is divorced from realism.

2.5 PROBLEMS OF TEACHING ENGLISH IN INDIA:

There are many problems of teaching English in India. While 52.9 % children of class V

could read a textbook of II in 2009, only 47% could do so in 2013. The decline in reading

abilities is even more pronounced in government schools. 50.3% children of V could read

II class text book in 2009, down to 41.1 % in 2013.

Teaching Institute at Allahabad and Hyderabad have done a lot to improve the English

Teaching in India by producing new textbooks , gramophone records, flash cards, training

teachers, popularizing structural approach of teaching English, yet there are the following

problems which create unhealthy conditions for adequate teaching of English in our

country:-

(1) Neglecting the Aims of Teaching English: The teaching of English in India is not in

accordance with the aims of teaching English .Many times, neither the teacher nor the

student is acquainted with the aims of learning English. The teacher only wants that

his students should pass the examination .The main aim, in this way, get neglected.

(2) Place of English in School –Curriculum: The problem of giving a proper place to

English in school curriculum is still not tackled. The following questions need answers

i. From which class should the study of English starts?

ii. Up to which class should its study lasts?

iii. Should English be a compulsory subject?

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 iv. If yes, up to which class should it be a compulsory subject?

(3) Condition of Classes: The following conditions of classes hinder the smooth teaching

of English:

i. Overcrowded classes,

ii. Shortage of buildings,

iii. Lack of furniture.

Due to overcrowded classes, the teacher is not able to tackle individual problems .Due to

shortage of buildings and lack of furniture, students often feel inconvenient and their

attention is distracted from learning.

(4) Old Method of Teaching English: In Indian schools, teachers are still using the old

and faulty ‗Translation –cum –Grammar‘ method of teaching. The new approaches –

Structural and Situational are not popular with our teachers .As a consequence, our

students are facing all the demerits of Translation –cum –Grammar method and are

devoid of advantages of new effective methods and approaches .

(5) Lack of Uniform Policy: There is no uniform policy regarding the beginning of

English teaching in our schools. At present; there are three different stages at which

the teaching of English is introduced:

i. Early stage (age 6 to 9 years) - In parts of West Karnataka, West Bengal,

Rajasthan and in public schools, it starts from classes I or III.

ii. Middle Stage (age of 11 or 12 years )- In parts of West Bengal, Kashmir,

Orissa, Delhi ,Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, English is introduced at the

beginning of Secondary education .

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 iii. Later stage (age 0f 14 years) - In some states, e.g. Gujarat, English is taught

during the last four years of secondary education.

This hotchpotch is, obviously, confusing and as, a result, slowdown the rate of progress.

(6) Low Standards of Text-Books -The textbooks of English are needed to be of high

standard .Pointing to this problem Prof. V.K. Gokak has said,

Either, because of the distribution of patronage or because of fear

of charges of favourism, a Reader which is an organic part of one

series is prescribed for a certain standard and it is followed by a

Reader from another series …… Books are prescribed which

bear no relevance to the needs of pupils at the stage.28

The English Text –Books need improvement in the following spheres:-

i. Selection and gradation of vocabulary,

ii. Good printing,

iii. Genuine Illustrations,

iv. Suitable subject-matter

v. Language and style,

vi. Exercises and Glossary,

vii. Relevance and

viii. Viii. Abridgement of English stories to suit Indian conditions

In fact, the standard of text-books can be improved, if they are written by teachers

teaching English in government schools.

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(7) Less Use of Audio-Visual Aids: In our schools, there is very much less use of audio-

visual aids. Due to lack of funds, expensive aids cannot be purchased, but whatever cheap

aids, e.g. Pictures, charts models, flannel -boards are available, are not used by teacher.

English can be best taught by using audio –visual aids and they are neglected in our

schools.

(8) Lack of Effective Teachers: Prof .V.K. Gokak has Said ,―The fundamental years for the

teaching of English in schools are in the hands of teachers who neither know enough

English nor are familiar with the latest and far reaching development in the pedagogy of

English .‖29There are four main reasons of the lack of effective and competent teachers:

i. Lack of adequate training at the B.Ed. Level.

ii. Teachers who had not offered teaching of English at the B.Ed. Level.

iii. Lack of initiative and innovation in teachers and

iv. Absence of right motivation as teachers are motivated only to get their

students through examinations. Prof .R.L. Mehta observes, ―His sole aim

is to get the pupils through the examination by fair means or foul. The

result is the graduate who cannot write a correct sentence of English.‖30

(9) Traditional Examination System: The new method of examination with oral and written

test is not used by teachers. They still cling to the traditional method of examination.

They still cling to the traditional method of examination .Besides; no attempt is made to

realize the real aims of teaching English through examination.

(10) Lack of Proper Teacher Education: The teachers are not trained thoroughly. At the

B.Ed. and M.Ed. levels, more periods are given to compulsory papers than to method of

64
 teaching. At the same time, the duration of training is very short. There are also very

meager provisions and facilities for in –service education.

(11) Lack of Suggestive Correction: The exercises books of students lack in suggestive

correction .All the exercises of students should be corrected thoroughly and the correct

forms for the mistakes must be written. These are some of the main problems of teaching

English in India. Prof. Ronald Mackin has listed them as follows:-

The old fashioned type of benches and desks which restricts

movement ;the bad light ; the noise from neighboring class

which may be separated from them by nothing more than a

bamboo screen ,insufficient provision for their subject in the

time table ,lack of aids of all kinds ; interference from parents

or a dominating ,conservative Head –Master ; and finally the

requirements of an examination system which places a

premium on the written language and consequently seems to

favour the grammar –grinder of the old schools .31

(12) Diversity in School and College Education: Diversity in origin and in control of policy

and practices is seen in different states depending on the circumstances and the time when

the institutions were established with adequate or inadequate financial provisions .Most of

the Institutions are privately controlled and publically financed. Duration of secondary

education is not uniform; in some cases it is 10, in many11 and in some 12 leading to the

same school leaving certificate qualification. The private colleges are very poor.

(13) The faulty Curriculum: It has been observed by the Secondary Education Commission

that the curriculum in Secondary Schools is narrowly conceived, overcrowded and

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 bookish. No attempt has been made in the past to provide for individual differences

amongst the learners. Perhaps the most remarkable fact about our curriculum is that it is

extremely theoretical and does not develop practical abilities in any area of living. It has

only recently been realized that the enormous percentage of failures at the School Final

Examination is due to the fact that the curriculum is not adapted to individual differences.

(14) Unawareness of Teachers Regarding Framing of Timetable: The teachers need to have

full knowledge about why the different subjects are included in the curriculum. They

should then plan and provide the experience and activities which may help the learners in

achieving the general and specific objectives of the curriculum. Very few teachers are

aware of the fact that their school time- table does not provide for a balanced curriculum

.They seldom realize that the average High School Time –Table is as follows:-

Compulsory Subjects:

English: 12 periods per week

Mathematics: 10 periods per week

Vernacular: 08 periods per week

Optional Subjects (Any Two):

Drawing, Physiology & Hygiene, History &Civics, General Science, Economics,

Economics, Sanskrit- 6 periods per week for each subjects.

Can any teacher point out any rational basis for such uneven emphasis on the school

subjects in the time- table? The teacher needs to question thoroughly the traditions around

him and bring back to his work a fresh outlook, zeal and initiative. New procedures and

techniques must be adopted and the teacher must be willing to experiment with new ideas.

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(15) The Worse Situation of School Teachers: The story of school teachers is a bit more

complex and it varies from state to state. By the mid-1990s, many states had adopted the

‗Para‘ teachers‘ model of cheap appointments to meet the challenge of universal primary

education. Madhya Pradesh went the farthest — and paved the way for others — in

damaging its schools by downgrading the salary and status of all teachers. It declared the

old system of permanent teachers a ‗dying cadre‘, and shifted recruitments to village

Panchayats in the name of decentralization. Low-fee private schools and privately-run

medical and engineering colleges had demonstrated how teachers could be turned into

wage laborers not alter it.

What will it mean to bring the war against the teacher to a close? To begin with, it must

entail an accurate valuation of teachers‘ labour. Unlike the West, both society and state in

India today seem convinced that teaching is not a serious professional activity. Who can

persuade civil servants and citizens to see a primary school teacher‘s daily life for what it

is — a struggle against all possible odds? Engaging with young children is an exhausting

activity, but this idea feels alien to the educated middle classes and education officers. In

large cities, class sizes have swollen since the promulgation of the Right to Education

(RTE), leading to great pressure on the physical infrastructure of schools. The RTE Act

has laid down a teacher-child ratio of 1:30. This ratio looks like a fantasy under today‘s

circumstances. Official estimates point to a shortfall of more than a million teachers at the

elementary level alone. Where these teachers are to come from and what sort of

individuals will they be? Given the plight and capacity of training institutions, many state

governments are flirting with the option of distance education, even though a commission

appointed by the Supreme Court has stipulated that distance education should only be used

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for in-service and not initial training. The same commission has recommended that

government investment in new training institutions should be urgently enhanced. If the

new government at the center agrees to implement this advice, it will send a positive

signal across a sick, hopelessly dysfunctional sector.

Teaching is the heart of education, and that is where the crisis of education has hit India

hardest. The general cynicism towards teachers we see in our social ethos today has its

roots in a paradox. As a professional workforce, teachers have low, powerless status. The

younger the pupils you teach, the lower your status. On the contrary, ironic homilies

reminding us that the nation‘s future depends on teachers are dutifully recited each

Teacher‘s Day. In reality, teachers have no place in India‘s modern economy and urban

landscape, with their modest incomes and lack of authority even within their own

professional sphere. As for social prestige, even a lower-level civil servant enjoys more

recognition and respect, so that we easily conclude that teaching is a last option in the

hierarchy of careers. On the other hand, teachers carry the burden of a loud cultural

mythology, according to which they are transmitters of values, shapers of young minds,

and architects of a new India. This contradictory state of affairs in the public mind

highlights how hard it is for the state to restore any dignity to India‘s teachers. If the state

stops the war it started more than two decades ago, the reconstruction of education can

start, and we can look forward to saner planning for the long run. But recovery from the

damage inflicted on the education system by the state‘s war on teachers is hardly easy.

Indeed, the decision to bring the war to a close constitutes as major a challenge of political

will as does the post-war planning.

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(16) Problems Related with Different Students: Different students can have different

difficulties and problems in learning English. They can make different mistakes in English

pronunciation, grammar, and orthography and vocabulary usage. There is a connection

between the native language of a learner and particular difficulties in learning and using

English and the kind of mistakes a learner typically makes in English pronunciation,

grammar and vocabulary as there is native language interferences in learning and using

English. Listening comprehension and speaking in English are the skills generally more

frequently used than reading and writing in daily life in an English speaking country.

Listening comprehension and speaking in English are more difficult and more important

for learners to master than reading and writing. When reading and writing a text a learner

has more time for thinking and pauses than when listening and speaking in English in daily

life. A learner can also look up unknown vocabulary in English dictionaries and use other

English reference books when reading and writing a text in English which is impossible

when listening and speaking in English. Therefore listening comprehension and speaking in

English are more difficult than reading and writing. English vocabulary for daily life

requires more time and is more difficult to master by foreign learners than English

grammar.

(17) Loose Educational System: Indian Educational system lacking in co-ordination and

coherence and became worse in the period 1950-70.The government of India thought in the

early 1950‘s after the report of the Secondary Education Commission that there will be

universal pattern of Higher Secondary Schools of 11 classes all over India followed by a 3-

year –degree course; the admission standard to professional education was changed. This

pattern of Higher Secondary Schools was not accepted by their states. Earlier for Medical ,

69
 Engineering and Agricultural colleges admission was after intermediate examination in a

pattern of 2+2 .On account of pressure from the center ,all universities ,except those of U.P.

and singularly enough Bombay University ,which opposed the change as un-academic and

undesirable ,had changed the 2+2 pattern in to 1+3 ,after the school leaving examination of

a nearly uniform standard in all states . After the change on the recommendation of the all

India Council of Technical Education, the admission qualification to engineering education

was made a 1+3 pattern, known as the pre- degree (P.D.) or pre –university examination

(PUC) and the 4 – year- degree course though in some universities it was a 3-year-degree

course of engineering), was turned into a 5-year –degree course, e.g., in the IIT‘s.

(18) Educating Teachers for Higher Secondary Schools: A successful teacher is marked by

number of characteristics: he is a lover of children, he gets along nicely with people, and he

has devotion to his task. He can inspire his pupils and above all he is a master of his subject.

It is difficult to assert to-day that pupil teachers who complete their training in the training

institutions. It is doubtful whether even five percent of the successful trainees will have

possessed the qualities mentioned above. One reason for this is that a graduate by the time

he arrives at the training college has formed certain attitudes and has completed his formal

education. Experiences shows that most of the graduates who join the training colleges are

poor academically and many of them do not have a proper attitude to teaching as a

profession. The training colleges also have created an impression over the years on many

people that the teacher‘s scholarly knowledge of his subject is unimportant in comparison

with his training in methods and psychology .To quote from the Secondary Education

Commission‘s report ,"only those would be admitted to training colleges who hold the

highest promise of becoming successful teachers‖.

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(19) Teacher Training Program: According to the secondary Education Commission, this

problem has two important aspects. One of them relates to the improvement of salary scales

and other conditions of service of Secondary teachers .The other relates to the training of the

untrained teachers and the provision of adequate refresher courses for trained teachers from

time to time .The introduction of new subjects in the Secondary curriculum has brought a

new dimension to the teacher –training problem .Some of these subjects were never taught

before and therefore suitable facilities for training teachers in the new subjects had to be

created .

One of the basic training problems has been that the syllabuses in the training institutions

and the experiences which they provided do not adequately prepare prospective teachers

for their new responsibilities.

Another important problem in teacher training relates to the absence of useful contacts

between the training institutions and practicing teachers .The methods propagated by the

training institutions are too theoretical and do not take into sufficient cognizance the

actual day- to –day problems which a practicing teacher has to face in his classroom.

(20) Lack of Quality Education in Government Schools: It is four years since the Right to

Free & Compulsory Education (RTE) Act for children in the age group of 6-14 Years, was

enacted by the Indian government .But despite this the drop-out from government schools

has been increasing day by day. A report by education NGO Pratham said that private

school enrolment in rural India is increasing at an annual rate of 10% and by 2020 half of

the children studying in schools would be in private sectors, thereby thereby questions the

relevance of the RTE Act, which guarantees free public school education to the children in

6-14 age groups.

71
Around 40% of children at primary level in Maharashtra are in private schools. Even in so

called backward states such Bihar and Utter Pradesh the enrolment in private is on the

rise. ―In the election year of 2014 about 41%of India‘s primary age children will be in

private schools and by 2019 elections private schools would be major education

providers,‖ the report said, posing a question over quality of education in government run

schools.

The cost of schooling has witnessed a fivefold increase, more than that of essential food

items, in rural India between 2004 and 2013 indicating preference of villagers for schools

over the huge network of public schools created under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan. The data on

prices of the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MOSPI) shows that

average school fee in rural India in March 2004 was 49 rupees. For same month in 2013, it

jumped to 260 rupees, meaning an increase of 530% over a ten year period.

Notes and References:-

1. David Crystal, English as a Global Language (Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press 1997)2.

2. Paul Varghese, Essay on Indian Writing in English (New Delhi: N. V. Publication

1989)1.

3. N. Krishnaswamy, Lalitha Krishna swamy, The Story of English in India (New

Delhi: Foundation Book Pvt. Ltd. 2006)150.

4. David Crystal, English as a Global Language (Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press 1997)8.

5. Ibid, 101.

6. Ibid, 102-103.

72
7. Abha Rani Bhist, Teaching English in India (Agra: vinodPustakMandir

Publication, 1989)3.

8. C. Paul Varghese, Essay on Indian Writing in English (New Delhi: N. V.

Publication 1989)3.

9. N. Krishna Swamy, Lalita Krishna Swamy, The story of English in India (New

Delhi: Foundation books Pvt. Ltd., 2006)31-32.

10. K. L. Sharma, Methods of Teaching English in India (Meerut:Meerut Publications,

1970)2.

11. C. Paul Vergheese, Essay on Indian Writing in English (New Delhi: N.V.

Publication, 1989) 3.

12. N. Krishna Swamy and T. Sri Raman, English Today in India (Madras: T. R.

1994)28.

13. Ibid 54.

14. Qaiser Zoha Alam, English Language Teaching in India (Problems and Issues)

(New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributers,1995) 2.

15. N. Krishna Swamy , Archana S. Burde, The Politics of Indians‘ English,

Linguistic Colonialism and the expanding English Empire (New Delhi: Oxford

University Press, 1998)12.

16. G. S. Gautam, Teaching of English in India (New Delhi: Classified Publishing

Company, 2002)10.

17. Ibid.

18. Ibid.

73
19. T.C. Baruch, The English Teacher‘s handbook (New Delhi: Sterling Publishers

Private Ltd, 1985) 21-22.

20. Antony, A.Teaching of English as a Second Language in India (Bareilly: Prakash

Book Depot,1993)34-35.

21. Omkar.N.Koul, English in India, Theoretical and Applied Issues ( New

Delhi:Creative Publishers, 1992) 226.

22. M.A.K. Halliday, Explorations in the Functions of Language (London: Edward

Arnold : 1973)56.

23. Abha Rani Bisht, Teaching English in India (Agra: Shrivinod Pustak Mandir,

2011)12.

24. Ibid.

25. P. Gurrey, Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

26. Ibid.

27. NCERT 2005, 1.4:3.

28. V. K. Gokak, Future of English in India, 1965.

29. Ibid.

30. R.L.Mehta, The Teaching of English in India( Oriental Longmans, 1957).

31. Abha Rani Bisht, Teaching English in India (Agra: ShrivinodPustak

Mandir,2011)10.

74