Where is our English education heading for?

Ajith PERERA

Teaching is an art. It is not merely a job or a profession where the teachers can earn their living but a divine vocation and a mission with a vision. One should have a great desire or innate ability to be a successful quality teacher, especially a foreign language teacher.

The spirit of teaching and imparting knowledge should be in his or her own blood. Possessing the requisite paper qualifications alone or getting through the teachers’ recruitment examination or interviews should not determine the entry qualification for this noble profession. Paper qualifications are important but dedication to the profession, thirst for new and updated knowledge and desire to widen the capacity are some of the pivotal elements of a fully fledged English teacher.

Unfortunately, most people are of the opinion that the easiest job they could be recruited for is teaching. It is pathetic to mention that some of the leaders were also of the same impression that the best solution for unemployed youths was to provide them with teaching opportunities, through which the huge number of the vacancies could be filled.

As a result, O/L English qualified youths were offered English or English medium teaching opportunities in the government sector. Fortunately, it was understood as a national crime and no more foolish attempts are made by the government. Regrettably teacher recruitment in International Schools and English medium schools do not seem to have a proper strategy as such. The officials of certain schools take quick steps to fill the existing vacancies from any applicant.

Not only English teachers but also subject teachers’ vacancies cannot be filled instantly like answering multiple choice questions. The major problem is whether the paper qualifications alone turn the recruits out to be resourceful teachers.

Professional qualifications

If every Dick, Tom and Harry can be a teacher, how can the nobility of this holy profession be safeguarded? Can all become teachers? Can all become English or English medium teachers? Those recruits must have paper qualifications as well as professional qualifications along with continual professional development of classroom management and child psychology.

Moreover, they should love teaching. No one should become teachers for sake of being teachers or just to fill a vacancy. Their love and dedication to the profession is visible in their desire to widen their horizons while broadening their students’ as well.

English education

English education has widely been spoken of today giving it paramount importance. As far as English education is concerned English teachers play a gigantic role in this regard. English teachers are held answerable for many issues pertaining to English education and government examination results. Is it fair if the teachers only are questioned or held answerable? What about the learners, aren’t they responsible for the drastic decline of the examination results? The main concern of this discussion is the teachers’ responsibility in English education and how they should fulfill their duties towards the success of this national venture.

Although there are five skills in English - listening, thinking, reading, writing and speaking - basically reading and writing are the main skills improved and tested in our system of education and examinations. This is the main reason why students who learn for ten or more years of English cannot speak English. This is one of the main reasons why English education in schools is a failure in Sri Lanka.

How many of us as English teachers use English to teach English? How many of us use English outside the classroom with the students? How many of us update our knowledge with the present strategies or methodology of teaching English? How many of us follow up our educational or professional development sessions other than the compulsory government teacher training programme at a Teachers’ Training College or Distant Education Centre?

How many of us are confident in teaching and handling any classroom situation? How many of us prefer teaching in leading popular schools? How many of us do not like teaching in the classes of slow learners or weaker students? How many of us have been credited or appreciated by our students for our genuine work? How many of our English teachers are fluent and accurate in English? In short how many of our English and English medium teachers know English - accurate English?

Translating the lessons that are there in the textbooks is teaching for some of the teachers who do not know any methodology or strategies of teaching. It is not teaching but cheating. Cheaters can never be teachers and genuine teachers will never be cheaters either.

Passive listeners

There are teachers who render a commendable service to uplift the standard of English education. We as teachers are proud of our own colleagues. There are teachers who are in line with the new knowledge and new methods of teaching. Yet unfortunately, there are similar or greater number of teachers who do not bother to use the language in classroom situations or converse with the students outside the classroom.

At times, most of the English language classrooms are full of ‘Teacher Talk’ and the learners are quite passive listeners. Further, teachers naturally become exhibits or artifacts before the innocent students who keep their mouths wide open. Such teachers boast of themselves. ‘My classroom management was quite successful. There was pin drop silence in the classroom.’ If the students are dumfounded in the classroom, that mirrors many drawbacks in the teaching learning process.

For government English teachers, there is no other compulsory training programme to enhance their educational and professional scope other than their two year Teachers’ Training Course or three year course conducted by the Colleges of Education. There are plenty of recognized courses conducted by the universities and well recognized institutions, but it is indeed a pity most teachers do not bother to follow them due to various reasons.

Since pursuing higher education is not made compulsory by the Department of Education, teachers can survive only with their training certificate.

Teachers who are interested in higher education are not motivated at all. Earning any recognized certificate except Post Graduate Diploma or Professional Certificate does not help increase the teachers’ salary or any other incentives.

The best example is the teachers who earn their Masters or M Phils or even Doctorates spending their hard earned money, are not entitled to any salary increment in the Ministry of Education.

These hard earned certificates merely increase the weight of their personal files in their respective Education Offices. We are thus naturally made to understand why teachers are discouraged and why there is no value in education in the field of education.

That could be one of the major reasons why teachers are de-motivated in climbing their professional ladder.

Seminars and workshops

Unlike other subject teachers, English teachers should have a vital role to play in the life of learners because learning English is a life long process and it opens the gateway for future prospects. Therefore, the English teachers should be well equipped with English.

Most teachers who are forcefully sent for government training, either residential or non-residential, do not bother to continue their higher studies through which they are academically and professionally qualified. Some consider the two year training they obtain as a life time license to teach in the classroom and exist in the profession.

It’s a pity that they do not realize that general training is like a foundation without a roof. When they do not use English in their teaching learning process they naturally forget English.

To be continued

The writer is a teacher lecturer of Child Psychology and Classroom Management