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Friday, 24 October 2014 00:46 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
One classic feature that unites doomed societies is their denial in the face of stark reality and failure to adapt to changed circumstances; the woeful state of English in this country spells impending gloom and could morph into the inconspicuous slick of oil that topples us all.
Granted that there is a nudge from various quarters towards a so-called trilingual state. True that charitable English language centres have mushroomed across Colombo. Cheers to the ubiquity of the internet and all the free English language study aids that flood it. But, the point is, has all this induced an interest for self-improvement amongst the city’s bourgeois?
Why, for instance, does the local O/L English paper, set at an accessible second language level, have the highest failure rate out of all the subjects taken? More than 50% – yes, 50%! – of all school candidates who sat for this particular examination failed last year.
If you sweep aside the rural areas for argument’s sake and focus solely on the Colombo district – a region where UNESCO claims 80% of children to have a sub-par grasp of English – it becomes frightfully hard to justify the lacklustre attitude towards mastering an international language. Is it down to indifference? Innate lethargy? Or is there some unbeknownst rebellion against the global language of business?
Think of the repercussions of this mad state of affairs. The World Bank calls the Sri Lankan workforce the most educated in South Asia yet not fit for purpose. Think of the vanishing spell you wish you could cast upon yourself when officials and senior managers sputter, stammer and flounder on many an international platform. Think of the lack of personal, professional and business opportunities.
But it is worse than that, because this deficiency not only wraps its vile tentacles around an individual or an entity but, in time, can lock the nation itself in a deathly embrace; Education First recently quantified the level of English proficiency in 60 countries (including Sri Lanka) and, delving deeper, has sketched out a strong correlation between proficiency and a host of economic indicators, from GDP per capita to even the quality of life. Yes, chaps, as trite as it maybe, a research-driven verdict rules that countries with better English have better exports, better economic development and a heightened sense of happiness.
At the end of the day, we all want a better quality workforce, yes? We all want better opportunities to those who trudge along to our schools, don’t we? Well, let me suggest a policy that would not only set the stage for language mastery for generations to come but would also offer some respite to a country that cries out for innovation; it would not only steer the mindset of the average Sri Lankan Joe into the 21st century – one that values initiative and talent above ethnicity – but would also reflect ground reality. Since the core issue seems to be how English is fundamentally perceived within our society at large, an effective strategy ought to address the way the language is approached, taught and embraced.
The cradle for the current debacle is our national curriculum which, misguidedly, treats English as a second language; this ill-conceived stance limits the teaching and assessment scope and fosters a mindset where fluency in the language is seen as a ‘nice-to-have’ as opposed to a ‘must-have’.
Poor performance in public examinations and the implied irrelevance of English aptly illustrates the problem at hand. If our schools and universities expect those who pass through their fusty corridors to be adept in solving a simple algebraic equation, then it is bonkers not to ensure that competence in English – now universally considered a life skill – is also very much in place. It is thus imperative to strike at the heart of the problem and to raise the requirements of English teaching and assessment to that of a primary language.
If limited expectations are the source of the problem, inferior teaching is the overzealous virus that compounds it. Linguistic mastery is a long-winded odyssey that requires one to be immersed in the language for the greater portion of one’s waking hours; re-introducing English as a medium of instruction in state schools, of course, helps but it would only be truly successful if the students are first given a solid grounding in English.
Any language curriculum followed, therefore, should tackle all four pillars of language competence – listening, speaking, reading and writing – from an early age using modern and interactive teaching methods. Gone are the days when a prim master would stride in, whip out a mighty tome and drone on about the nitty-gritty of grammar; complementing structural know-how with the study of literature, writing workshops etc are the tools now in vogue.
Upping language requirements and obtaining access to quality teachers are certainly not snap-of-the-finger solutions; it will need time, investment and proper planning but are essential steps in order to rouse interest in the language and ensure a solid foundation for many of our children.
It is overwhelmingly in the interests of local employers to band together and reverse the prevailing trend; regardless of profession, excellent written and oral communication skills in English are a core and prized competency, especially when local businesses – whether it is a manufacturing company churning out pretty egg cosies or a molecular lab trying to win a patent for a sensational formula – eye opportunities outside our shores.
Besides structured training to those who need it, one simple way to motivate white-collar employees is to incorporate language competence as a key component in performance and promotion reviews; this would not only create a necessity to master the language but also instil a sense of pro-activeness to skills development.
All major countries have wriggled out of their linguistic rabbit holes, gathered their wits together and are surging ahead with reform: the Brazilians, the Germans and the Russians have all put in place massive state-sponsored language programs that bring in certified native speakers for teaching purposes; Japanese and South Korean companies have poured in millions to ensure that English is the lingua franca of their workplaces; even the Chinese – so beloved to us these days – have set stringent English proficiency goals to civil servants.
The sluggish attitude towards English must change. It is time for Sri Lanka to incorporate English as a mainstream language at all levels of society and bolster opportunities for everyone concerned. Down with the provincial mentality, and forward with 21st century values.
(The writer’s website address is www.nandu-rajagopala.com.)
