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| Sunday, 5 February 2006 |
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Teaching English in push-button civilisation by Ranjan Amarasinghe It is disheartening to note that an alarming number of students fail miserably to get through their English Language paper at G.C.E. (O/L) and also at G.C.E. (A/L) anually, irrespective of successive governments laudable attempts of popularizing English Language as an effective and vital medium of communication. It must be admitted that the Education Ministry plays an active role in motivating their not so well qualified or enthusiastic cadres of English teachers by regularly holding workshops, seminars etc to enhance their knowledge. In addition there is an impressive number of training colleges in our country in which these teachers are imparted with upto date knowledge of English Language. Furthermore at these training colleges they are taught about modern teaching methods with a view to making them more competent and confident in their chosen field of studies. However, ironically, these labours have not given expected results, due to a number of reasons among which inertia shown by many of these prospective teachers, can be cited as a decisive factor which effectively thwarts the very purpose of popularizing English Language among the student fraternity, who sadly enough, hardly realize the importance of English Language in furthering their cherished goals at this incipient stage. Unfortunately, most of these English Teachers select their vocation due to their inability to gain better prospects at that stage, rather than due to their liking or dedication to the vocation. Therefore it is quite natural for them to consider their stay in teaching professions as transitory, which explains why they are reluctant to make any serious attempt to gain a sound knowledge of English Language by rigidly applying and following the guidelines set out by their professional trainers. Thus the students are bound to be disappointed again and again, due to no fault of theirs, as apathy and incompetence of their teachers have a direct impact on their studies of English. It must be pointed out that in this unfavourable climate, the students themselves do not make any valiant attempts in mastering the language guided by numerous valuable books published on English Language here and abroad. Coterie In this set-up there is a great demand for learning of English Language which has become a prerequisite to obtain gainful employment or to pursue higher studies. Thus Instant teaching has become a lucrative business venture, undertaken by wealthy and business minded coterie of teachers who enthusiastically conduct mass-classes to satiate the ever growing demand of students' appetite for English, especially spoken English to be mastered within a very short period of time. Thus it has gained mass appeal in our country judging by the impressive and persuasive advertisements published in many weekend newspapers, blithely propagating their magic formula to their gullible student populace inviting them to join "The Camp' in large numbers, imbibing them with a false notion that learning a foreign language like English would be an easy task deserving not much labour , akin to making instant coffee or instant milk". As expected, the students themselves being ardent proponents of push-button civilization become easy prey for this trap. Undoubtedly the net-result can be defined as a tragic-comedy in which pendulum a large number of English tutors masquerade as semigods, well immuned in the luxury of their majestic and palatial mansions and chauffeur driven limousines. This modern trend, spawned by the advent of push-button civilization deserves our careful consideration. Charisma The older generation may certainly find it difficult to grasp this new phenomenon, which would have drastic social and even political implications, in which modern teachers have won envious admiration among their faithful disciples not so much for their much advertised teaching skills or knowledge of English but for their admirable tact and charisma in mesmerizing the students by shamelessly displaying the tinsels of mammon of power which itself has gained unnerving respectability in our modern social set up. It seems might has won the universal appeal, accentuated by commercialization to annihilate our much revered humane traditions like a maniac going berserk losing even a semblance of decent and long cherished values. In this set-up it is hardly surprising that the majority of modern teachers rightly earn a very little respect from their much disappointed students most of whom are clairvoyant enough to differentiate the chaff from the grain very specially after being subjected to continuous disappointment by the tactics of these so-called fantastic teachers who seem to be born with a magic wand in their hands. In this conundrum, admittedly there is a small percentage of dedicated and efficient model teachers who go on teaching English to their discerning students unperturbed without much publicity, which itself deserves our unequivocal appreciation and emulation as they bravely carry on their task of teaching in the adverse climate, in which sham and deception is readily and shamelessly accepted as common currency without protest or without an iota of conscience. Ignorance In our abysmal ignorance, we, more often than not, bypass them as unpractical and naive for not being trend-setters and for not solemnly promising us to teach English Language preferably within days rather than within months or years. Undoubtedly these band of un-sung and un-admired teachers of English would have a permanent niche in our annals of history for their brave stand and vision in perpetuating the truth in the form of teaching a foreign language without bowing down to pressures, which itself would gain momentum with the passage of time in which our perennial values will mark a resurgence allowing us the freedom to be truthful to ourselves rather than mechanically worshipping an alien god of materialism, which would hopefully lose its strangle-hold and would be left alone to die a natural death. Though it seems prophetic, now as we are blinded by the glamour of acquisition, satiating our selfish motives, engaged in cut-throat competition it will certainly happen, when the common masses throughout the world in their eternal struggle of finding a more equitable and just social order and a global trend in which third world poverty is alleviated, so that the whole would be united, under one banner of equity, in which truth would find resonance once again, echoing and re-echoing in the deep recess of mountains.
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