President to launch Road Map to promote English program

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will launch the "18 month Road Map to promote Spoken, Communicative English in Sri Lanka" on Monday, June 22 at 'Temple Trees'.

This comes under the Presidential Initiative aiming to arm the younger generation with a knowledge of English, especially with communicative English.

This important program is expected to result in a radical transformation of English Teaching and Learning Enterprise in the country.

It has been crafted by the Special Presidential Task Force on English and IT in conformity with the letter and spirit of the Mahinda Chinthana and in keeping with the vision of the President.

It will mark an important step in the transformation of 'English as a Language' or 'English as a Subject' or 'English as a Status Symbol' or 'English as the Seal of Social Repression' as is the case today to 'English for its Utility Value' or 'English for Rural Employment' or 'English as a Cultural Neutral Communication Tool or English as a Life Skill' which constitute the pith and substance of the Presidential Initiative, President Advisor and Coordinator (English) and Convener of the Presidential Task Force, Sunimal Fernando said.

"The President has directed the 18 month program to be implemented on a priority basis by the Central and Provincial Ministers of Education.

It will be monitored, coordinated and supported by the Special Initiative Unit (SIU) of the Presidential Secretariat", Sunimal Fernando said.

An Accelerated teacher Training Program through which Spoken English Skills will be taken to all schools in the country within 18 months, a radical change in the school syllabus and examination system to give emphasis to Spoken English and a scheme for Distance Teaching of English through television will feature among the 17 activities included in the Road Map.

Additionally, a new Spoken English Teaching Manual produced by 40 English Master Trainers from Sinhala and Tamil speaking homes in all nine provinces to be used as the 'flagship' of the Presidential Initiative will also be launched by the President. The authors are teachers who were trained in 2008 at the English and Foreign Language University (EFLU), Hyderabad, on scholarship granted by the Indian Government which has donated 40 more scholarships for 2009.