Should all Children Learn English?

 

Should all Children Learn English?

 

Many wonder whether the state policy regarding the teaching of the English would be the acceptance that for a full education English would be a necessity or whether a knowledge of the cultural degeneration of the independent sovereign Republic of Sri Lanka.

 

with Sinhala as the State Language and the acceptance of the fact that swabhasa is the best media of instruction it is necessary to point out that neither of the above mentioned extremes could be adopted regarding the knowledge of the study of a second language, which in Sri Lanka cannot be any other than English.

 In Sri Lanka knowledge or this second language is necessary for the gathering of scientific knowledge, trade and commerce. And, for international understanding knowledge of English will be of immense value. In a developing country like Sri Lanka its leaders should know to converse and write English.

As Sri Lanka’s aim is to grant equality to all the children in educational matters all the children of the land should be given knowledge of the second language. This is well and good. But have facilities.

It has to be asked whether this country could afford this luxury, especially as the country needs more and more money, if the five year plan proposed by the Government is to be a success. If all the children of the land are to be taught English. Provision has to be made to teach more children the subject.

To teach these children spread out in over 11,000 schools at least 20,000 teachers are needed. But are there so many teachers available to teach the subject satisfactorily? There may be persons who would have obtained a pass in English at the GCE. (OL) Examinations.

And among these will be persons who have studied the language only through correspondence courses. In many instances such teachers are unfit to teach young children English in their most formative years.

Beside this, young men and women who have secured “credit’’ passes in English may not be available to teach the subject in remote schools. Such persons take to a more remunerative occupation or pursue higher studies.

Educational psychologists are agreed that the study of a second language should commence at about the age of eight. This according to the set-up in our school is at the grade three stages.

to save educational expenditure it is proposed that in the teaching of English, many of the framers of Sri Lanka’s educational policy feel that teaching the subject should commence even as late as in grade six. But, it is feared that this would prove to be a drastic step and children in schools may not profit at all by the study of English as late in their educational career.

The proposal to introduce English into the curriculum of schools at grade six perhaps has been motivated with a view to cutting down expenditure on education. Although this is point to be considered it has to be borne in mind that the second language may tend to make a student neglect the subject.

It has also to be pointed out that some of Sri Lanka’s students need only a superficial knowledge of this subject. What they require is knowledge of the language to read a address and to convey and understand a simple message. This could be imported to a child a couple of year.