Objectives of Teaching and Learning English in India

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe objective of teaching English in India, should not be 'producing bookworms' or 'linguistic robots'. What is important is to motivate the students, by creating awareness amongst them regarding the importance of English and then gradually helping the student to attain his goal. The basic objective should thus be, to make the student independent. It has rightly been said, If you give an individual a fish you feed him for a day, but, if you teach him to fish you feed him for life. It is up to the teacher to make the student realize that gaining competence in English he shall hold the master-key to success in the contemporary world.Keywords: Foreign language, Educational programmes, Multi-lingualINTRODUCTION:English, although a foreign language is now as much an Indian language as any other. English has been taught in our schools and colleges for many decades. It occupies the position of associate official language. It is used widely as a link language in offices and among the educated people. It is not only a compulsory subject at school, college and university but is also the medium of instruction to the large extent. It is the language of science and technology. It occupies the position of a second language in the school curriculum and for higher education. English language has been assigned the role of library language. Without exception every secondary school child has to learn English as a subject, usually for six years but in some cases for three years only.This contemporary position of English in India shows English language teaching occurring at all levels of Education, mainly as a second language. This brings us to our present topic of interest - a history of English language teaching in India.English language teaching as a discipline has come into its own during the past several decades both in India and abroad and along with it English language teaching historiography also has gained prominence. It is now possible to cite a large body of literature devoted to this area of study. But in India, even though English language teaching has been going on for many decades there is no document, which contains a comprehensive history of English language teaching in India. Now English language teaching has gained the status of a new discipline and also has gained relative importance on our educational programmes. It is felt that a comprehensive history of English language teaching in India is needed.I would have English as an associate, additional language, which can be used not because of facilities, but because I do not wish the people of non-Hindi areas to feel that certain doors of advance are closed to them. So I would have it as an alternative language as long as people of India require it- Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru,(from the Convocation Address, delivered at University of Pune on 27th Jan. 1955).English has become the language of Governments, Education, advancement, jobs and a symbol of selfimprovement. The new ideas about language, the dimensions of usage and the new development in educational technology have given rise to branches in the use of English. Though the use of English as a medium of communication in India dates back to the colonial days, the native non-English speaker especially from the rural inland, frets and fusses when exposed to a situation where he has to communicate inevitably in English. Similarly, teaching English to the Indian students is the biggest challenge. Though enough awareness is prevailing among the students, parents and society and even among politicians, the majority of our students struggle a lot to acquire the language. On the other hand, teachers too equally toil and moil to find a suitable methodology to facilitate the students in acquiring the English language.We have, in general, urban, semi-urban and rural students. And even among these, we have learners, who have all among studied through English medium and learners who have studied through the regional medium with English as