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| Sunday, 20 June 2004 |
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Private sector for wider use of English by Elmo Leonard The private sector is lobbying for a wider use of English so that Sri Lanka could be more competitive in the emerging global economy. Daily, on a global scale, trillions of transactions in finance and banking, trade and commerce, research and development, scientific and technological advancement are facilitated in English. The emerging trend for a single language to encompass the entire global business gamut is increasing by the day. Even aid agencies see the need for a better knowledge of English among the youth in the country. The German aid agency, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung's representative in Sri Lanka, Dr Carola Stain explained that as Germany was never colonised and with no ethnic minorities as in Sri Lanka, Germany's official language remains German. However, English is taught in schools as a second language, while a few opt to learn French. Europe is Germany's main buyer and without the use of English and French the German economy would be hard hit, she said. Director education and training of AAT, H D Herman Perera said that it is pathetic to see clever young people, even those who have passed out from University, unable to perform well in their daily work due to the lack of a knowledge of English. Learning in Sinhala and Tamil until they reach tertiary level, in some cases results in failed tests. Such young people often end up as misfits in society, he said. Perera is a former principal of Thrustan College, Colombo and Sri Lanka international schools in Oman and Saudi Arabia. Even Sri Lankan computer software exporters are among those who have called for a better knowledge of English among the youth. They point out that India handles the lion share of software exports in the South Asian region, aided by young people who are well versed in English. Sri Lanka lags far behind, in exports of software, value and volumewise, they said. Prof. of Computer Science, V K Samaranayake thinks that a practical knowledge of English is needed by all, including professionals in Sri Lanka. Backed by the private sector, a group of 40 concerned people formed an English Language Initiative (ELI), last week, launched by communications specialist J B Muller. Among others who backed the initiative were, C I C chairman, B R L Fernando, vice chairperson of the National Education Commission, Jezima Ismail, former Chairman Ceylon Tourist Board, Renton de Alwis and TV Presenter Arun Dias Bandaranaike. The group of 40 from all walks of life are natural English speakers, making it unnecessary, as in the past, to have experimented with rewriting English teachers from overseas. These foreign teachers, often suffered from cultural shock and terminated their contracts, Muller explained. The exercise of training English teachers would first be taken up by the private sector. While World Bank (WB) and ADB funding is ongoing for other programmes of teaching English, such funds have also been sought, under the programme in review. The government will be asked to allow the English teacher-training programme to be taken to the schools. With this modality within 18 months a target of 1,600 English teacher trainers could be reached. The end result will be that within five years all 10,500 schools in the island could each have a competent, English teacher-trainer, Muller said. |
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