English as language of higher education

by Susantha Hewa

This refers to Dr. Laksiri Fernando’s essay titled, “English as language of higher education: some FB responses” appeared in The Island of December 27. In Sri Lanka, teaching English as a subject has room for improvement, if one of its goals is to prepare students to conduct their higher studies in the medium of English. Enhancing English language skills of secondary level students will surely help a significant number of students who enter university to improve their academic performance in commensurate with their cognitive skills and perseverance.

As everybody knows, one of the best ways of acquiring a second language is to increase exposure to it as early as possible. As such, one of the effective methods of realising the above long-term goal would be to start teaching at least one subject in the target language in schools from primary grades. It would enable tertiary level students to fully invest their time and energy in learning their main subjects. What’s more, it will spare them the typical stress of learning a second language as an adult. At present, the sheer number of undergraduates experiencing the needless bother invites more attention to providing a level playing field for all new entrants to conduct their studies without English, as the medium of instruction, becoming a stumbling block. Those who enter the university to follow academic programmes conducted in English have the additional burden of upgrading their level of English to understand their lectures, if they don’t have an adequate proficiency in English at the entry point. Such students are faced with the dual disadvantage of experiencing the stress involved in hurriedly mugging up English while coping with the academic workload with their poor language skills. This is unfair because students should not be penalised for the delays in upgrading the second language teaching in schools to cater to the new requirements in university education. All new entrants must have a level playing field with reference to their ease of using English as the medium of instruction. It is unwarranted that some students are compelled to improve, of all things, their proficiency in the medium of instruction while the degree programmes are in session!

As if the situation was not bad enough, there is, in some universities, the problem of senior students objecting to the proficiency-based grouping of new entrants for pre-academic English programmes on the basis that it ‘discriminates against’ students with a lower proficiency in English by creating a sort of ‘class discrimination’ among students. They want the new students to be in mixed-ability groups as an alternative to the above ‘anomaly’. Whether or not this argument is tenable, ensuring that all those who complete their secondary education and leave school have an adequate proficiency in English would avert such needless issues influencing decisions best left to the relevant Department. It will also eliminate another narrow chauvinistic bias against those who speak in English at the campus.

The additional benefits of early exposure to English in school include having a more malleable mind in terms of linguistic and cognitive skills, getting an early opportunity to become an internet user and gaining a wealth of experience in accessing more information accompanied by early training in reading and note taking. There are more advantages. It allows them to be introduced to the second language without it being seen by the students as an extra burden. Further, it would enhance future prospects of higher education and social mobility.

Of course, as regards introducing subjects to be taught in the English medium in schools, language teaching experts, linguists and educationists can decide which subjects should be taught in the said medium at what Grade. However, starting to teach at least one subject in the primary Grades has many advantages because it would be the best age in which students can get used to a language acquisition environment with the least conscious effort or inhibition. It would be best to start with an outdoor subject or activity-based subject where they can assimilate the target language fast in a nonthreatening and informal atmosphere, which will soon put them quite at home with a hitherto unfamiliar language. We also cannot underestimate its potential, at least in the long-term, in diluting class/caste-based biases, particularly in some hidebound cultural settings, where access to English was once confined to the children of the well-to-do families.

As students progress to higher grades of the secondary level, more and more subjects can be taught in English in consultation with the relevant experts.

However, once a subject is chosen to be taught in English, no student should have the option of learning it in the mother tongue at their will or on any excuse, for it would lead to the growth of numerous divisions and discriminations. As they inch towards their O/Level, they would be gradually groomed to learn at least three subjects from three different terrains, i.e., science, social studies and arts.

Prior to planning this crucial shift towards teaching selected subjects in the English medium, there should be corresponding changes in the content and method of teaching English as a regular subject in the school curriculum. In fact, such changes would be imperative to remain relevant, in the new learning environment where the regular English class is likely to be eclipsed by subjects being taught in the English medium.

However, to make all these positive changes feasible, the teachers who work in the relevant areas have to be given attractive financial and other emoluments including, perhaps, short-term training abroad. Such perks would encourage teachers who are otherwise reluctant to work in remote corners of the island to view the ‘hassle’ more optimistically. If paybacks are handsome enough, there would be no dearth of teachers willing to serve students in underprivileged schools.

Shifting to this would not be as difficult as it may appear. Of course, there will the usual teething troubles in finding teachers who can teach their respective subjects in English. However, if you begin with making manageable changes, you may progress slowly but steadily. For example, weekend training programmes for the teachers who are currently teaching their subjects in Sinhala or Tamil can be given an intensive training during a vacation before they shift to the English medium. In addition, weekend programmes may make them more up-to-date and confident. For another, the English language teachers in the school can be employed to raise the English language proficiency of the above teachers.

If MPs can be given a sitting allowance to encourage participation in Parliamentary sessions, it will not be unreasonable for the teachers who either conduct or participate in training sessions to receive a decent payment for their additional work, which will benefit the country immensely in numerous ways.