Novel way to English

Rasika Somarathna

*English as a life skill

*Eighteen month road map proposes radical shift

*Initiative proposes a new English teaching strategy

The Authorities launching a road map yesterday to ensure equity in promoting spoken\communicative English as a life skill among Sri Lankans, under a Presidential initiative, said that the intention was to change the old order, where English was thought as an instrument of social oppression and the prized possession of a privileged class.

The 18 month road map being worked off according to a concept by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, proposes a radical shift from ‘English as a subject, to English as a life skill or tool of communication’.

The official launch of the initiative took place yesterday under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees amidst a large gathering of teachers, provincial political leaders and education officials.

The new initiative proposes a new Sri Lankan ideology of English with a novel approach to teaching and learning spoken English which in effect would help to dismantle the social and psychological barriers to English learning and empower students to speak the language in their day to day activities.

Twenty two thousand teachers from all nine provinces are to be trained in the delivery of spoken English skills under the direction of a core group of teachers trained in India as master teachers.

A booklet released on the occasion said that the Presidential initiative sees English for its utility value and not for its social worth, and as a skill for employment and a vehicle for reaching out to the external world of knowledge and as a straight and simple tool for communication stripped of its historical baggage.

One of the highlights of the initiative is an accelerated program for the training of 21,984 in the delivery of spoken\communicative English skills to students within 18 months. A new teacher guide and training manual too is on the offing. Also training of English teachers as master trainers at the English and foreign Languages University in Hydrabad, India too is already in progress.

Among many other initiatives are changes to the syllabus, curriculum and examinations with IT, TV and other technological innovations being used to good effect..

Also according to officials the new spoken English teacher guide has been prepared with the use of views from all relevant stakeholders reaching out to even the remotest of areas in the country and is to be delivered across the country by the planners themselves with the cooperation of zonal level officers.

During the launch a comment by Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunge considered as a pioneer in the effort and the person who crafted the theme “English as a life skill” summed it all.

The Secretary said “ I came to the Royal College from a very remote village at an early age. At that time I did not know a word of English as the rural Schools at that time did not teach us the language. However, due to work ethics of the teachers and partly due to the hard work put in by me today I stand tall when using the language”.

“Thus by the latest effort which intends to reach out to all corners of the country promoting the use of ‘English as a life skill’ we could ensure that such inequality does not exist in the future”.

During the launch the President, Education Minister and other Provincial political leaders also took time off to engage in a fruitful interaction with the Teachers\education officials in a bid to iron out certain problems faced by them.