Pragmatism in English medium education

Dammika PERERA

The Higher Education Ministry has announced that university education in Sri Lanka would be conducted in the English medium and arrangements have been made to implement the said policy from 2012. The aim of this letter is not to go into the merits or demerits of it. Rather the writer’s aim is to highlight the importance of mapping out a strategy practicable and sagacious which could endure the challenges likely to surface in course of time when it is implemented.

Teaching in English medium at primary level is important. File photo

We are aware that during the tenure of office of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, the then Secretary of the Education Ministry Dr Tara De Mel also introduced a somewhat similar plan to give English Language the priority it deserves in our system of education. Her objective and effort was to impart a knowledge of English to those students entering the GCE (A-L) classes to widen their horizons and thereby laying down a base for university education in English medium. Unfortunately we are aware of the fate that befell her scheme.

Higher studies

Between then now officials of the Education and Higher Education Ministries have striven to implement the policy of making English the medium of instruction at the higher levels in order to undo the harm done to the students pursuing higher studies by erratic policies adopted since late 1950s. It is my strong belief that the route of the present plight of the university education of this country runs towards the days of commencing our primary education in the Sinhala medium.

The attendant evils of the erroneous language policies of the short sighted politicians directed by their own ulterior motives had a very detrimental effect and even belatedly we ought to set them right preventing the new generation of students from paying a price for it. The denial of a good knowledge of English to our students amounts to depriving them of the key to the treasure of knowledge. The duty cast upon the policy makers of today is to set right this glaring injustice meted out to our students poising for higher studies.

Proficiency in English

It is my considered opinion that a solution for this problem cannot be found overnight or by a Paste-and-Scissors Method. In other words, a policy of education with special reference to the place English should get in that framework must be decided upon by Statesmanship. Then only could we move on to smoother waters from the present quagmire in which we are for want of planning, direction and foresight.

Dr Sunil Jayantha Navarathna, a professional colleague of mine with whom I read for post-graduate qualifications in a same university in Tokyo had to face the problem of learning Japanese Language and that too rapidly, in the said Japanese University because the Japanese Language was the only medium of instructions used in that country for imparting higher education.

Therefore, both of us know only too well, the difficulties we had to encounter on that score. Nevertheless the Japanese University students do possess an adequate proficiency in English (specially in reading) which enables them to have recourse to reading materials in English and enrich their knowledge.

This very commendable condition has to be attributed to the methodical system of education in Japan which very earnestly accommodated the teaching of English to Japanese students thereby preventing them from a lack of a good knowledge of English which unfortunately looms very large in our set up.

Medium of instructions

Countries such as Germany, France, Russia and China also ensure that the university students do have a sound proficiency in English which expedites their journey towards the acquisition of universal knowledge (It should be noted here that the proficiency in English is not essentially the mere conversation ability but it includes reading, writing and hearing skill too), I do not mean that we should emulate in block the methods and models of such countries. That would not be wise just as it is not productive. The policy of introducing the medium of instructions in English at the higher levels as envisaged by the Chandrika Kumaratunga regime was destined to be a failure in that it concentrated only upon the schools in the urban sector. As such it did not get under way and was proved to be a futile effort. It is my fervent hope that the following observations and suggestions of mine would be of use to those policy-makers who are endeavouring to introduce new strategies based upon the lessons learnt in the recent past.

Foreign service

When I was in London in 2001, spending my Sabbatical Leave with generous support extended by as esteemed friend of mine, Jayantha Palipane (then Deputy High Commissioner) who is in the foreign service, I had the opportunity of meeting Mangala Munasinghe who was our then High Commissioner there and had the occasion to discuss at length this problem of using English at the higher levels.

I treasure happy memories about that occasion. While I was conversing with the High Commissioner there was a telephone call from Dr Tara De Mel requesting him to explore the possibility of finding a few volunteers (Englishmen) to help train and educate our teachers for the purpose of enhancing their knowledge in English to teach in G C E (A-L) classes. I told the High Commissioner then and there that Dr Mel’s proposal was not purposeful and was bound to fail and suggested the following.

I told the High Commissioner that the unpalatable truth is that our students who have done their primary education completely in Sinhala Medium do not possess a sufficient knowledge to study those subjects in English medium in the G C E (A-L) classes. The simple reason is students coming up to the higher levels, study English only for about 30 minutes a day at school which is hardly enough for them to elevate themselves to learning advanced subjects in English all too sudden.

International schools

What aught to be done is to teach all the subjects in English medium from the primary classes themselves and explore the students to English. I am sure our teachers are competent enough to teach the subjects in English medium from Year one to Year Five as most of our teachers have got through their GCE (O-L) in English Language.

Problems of finding teachers to teach in English medium crop up only after Grade Five. This problem could be tackled by adopting a five-year strategy during which required teachers could be found and trained (This plan would bring about the inglorious closure of the so-called International schools too which crop up like mushroom all over the country).

This might take about a decade but still it is worthwhile. This problem must be approached sans extremisms and parochial thinking. In other words we ought to approach this grave problem in the larger interests of the country. The patriots who read my proposal may get disturbed thinking that we as a nation are trying to go 50 years back. In order to please them, what authority could do is to introduce necessary by-laws to teach Sinhala and Tamil sufficiently from primary levels itselves.

Further, in order to consider a students being passed the GCE (O-L) examination, the requirement of Credit Passes for both Sinhala Language and Sinhala Literature could be asked for as an essential requisite through the by-laws. If it is still not sufficient, subjects such as Buddhism and Hinduism could be taught in Sinhala and Tamil respectively.

It is my fervent hope that if Ministers S B Dissanayake and Bandula Gunawardana, pool their efforts, they would be able to deliver the goods. Finally, I should like to emphasise that instead of starting to teach only in English medium in the universities from next year it is opportune to commence teaching in English medium at the primary level itself to reach the goal in view.

It will provide a very sound solution to problems faced by both students and teachers not only in the schools but also in the universities too. This ought to be a strategy drawn out with utmost foresight and implemented with dedication and unwavering concentration.

The writer is Senior Lecturer, Institute of Human Resource Advancement (IHRA), Colombo University