Regressive Elt… in God's Own Country?

Regressive ELT… in God's Own Country?Universities are avidly planning the introduction of PG
(An article originally submitted for publication in the dailycourses in Communicative English!
newspaper, The New Indian Express, under the titleWhat ultimately?…Covert Strangulation?
The Affluent Apathy vis -a-vis The New EnglishThose new generation teachers who are engaged in
Curriculum : A Recipe for Disaster in God's Ownapplying the Philosophy of the New curriculum, in
Country…? but was not published!Kerala are more or less in an inebriated condition. The
The following version save the first two paragraphsimprovement in pass percentage in English in recent
was submitted for publishing in the popular Indiantimes in secondary schools have made them blind to
weekly,the lowering of linguistic competence. Perhaps the best
The Week … and again was not published ..reference we have in literature to this is, 'Newspeak' of
Thanks to free online publishing this article will now seeNineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell. 'Newspeak'
light!!!)we know was designed to diminish the range of
Abstractthoughts and this purpose is helped by reducing the
The south India state of Kerala, popular to tourists aschoice of words to a minimum. ELT in Kerala too has
God's Own Country has witnessed experiments inpathetically reduced itself to the Newspeak-type
Education such as the District Primary Educationlanguage acquisition! The emphasis on Communicative
Programme (DPEP). Then followed a revision ofLanguage Teaching, the decision to drop the direct
textbooks and these have gone a long way inteaching of grammar and the shunning of purely
overhauling the education system in the state.Literature - based textbooks in the Government
The author, a former faculty of the Regional Instituteschools where the common man sends his child and
of English South India, Bangalore, critically examines thewhere the New Curriculum is vigorously introduced,
introduction of the New English Curriculum with itsresults in the common man's child developing a limited
excessive insistence on 'discourse-based languageperspective of language! But language, we know is
teaching'. The author believes that an apathy of sortsactually intended to serve as ones food for thought!
has crept in some where and in the article attempts toCould this insistence on Communicative Language
give a clear perspective of the problems the 'apathy' isteaching be a covert attempt to paralyze the
likely to create for the people of God's Own Country.development of intellect of those attending
Regressive ELT… in God's Own Country?Government schools ?
Background historyLesson for 'communikats' from History
1986 saw the revision of syllabus in English in the SouthIts worth recalling how a wrong approach to grammar
Indian state of Kerala , which tourists extol as "God'sresulted in the emergence of 'grammarian' a term of
Own Country". The texts basically reflected thereproach as Chambers Cyclopedia (1727-41,1779-86)
Communication Approach, with an admixture ofputs it. The term meant 'a person wholly inattentive to
cognitive approaches. The controlled gradation ofthe minutiae of language, industriously employed about
vocabulary and structures were dropped. DR. N.words and phrases; and incapable of perceiving the
Vedamani Manuel, the former Dean and Professor ofbeauties, the delicacy, finesse, …etc of a
Education of the University of Kerala and a scholarsentiment'. Can we use the term 'communikats' to
extraordinaire, who has no axe to grind, commenteddescribe those insisting on communication as the only
on the introduction thus: "When introduced a vastobjective of ELT? A derogatory term of the kind is
majority of teachers did not have the competency tolikely to be used sooner or later for the sheer fact that
transact these materials. Perhaps 5 to 10% of pupils inthose new generation teachers are assiduously
the superior schools profited by these . Theengaged in introducing a 'diarrohea of discourses' in the
examination system was traditional as before. So inEnglish language classroom as the one and only
practice communication materials were converted to alanguage learning activity and ignoring the teaching of
set of question answers (aided by bazaar notes) toliterary texts that actually help in developing a fine
prepare for the external exam objectives. The realliterary sensibility.
objectives of the scheme were bypassed."Dogs tell tales too!!
New Directions (or misdirection ?) in English LanguageIt is common knowledge that one can often come
teachingacross very intelligent and talented children even in
Perhaps the most noticeable of all changes in thefamilies of the common man. Analogically speaking we
recently revised secondary curriculum in the state ofcan come across pet dogs, some with traits of
Kerala, is the focus on communication, cognitivepedigree breeds in families of ordinary folks. Such
approaches, activity and child-centred approaches.families may not have the financial resources to feed
This, no doubt is a welcome change and after allthis pet dog, the kind of good quality meat and milk
language is essentially meant for communication. Butnormally given to pedigree dogs like the Alsatian. So
should the emphasis be on communication alone?they serve it the leftovers of the family or perhaps
What will come about if all activities are aimed atrationed rice. This dog will not complain nor bite the
communication skills alone in the language classroom?hand that feeds it. It gobbles up whatever is given, to
These are questions that one cannot afford to ignore.satisfy its hunger and has a famished existence. If this
But what exactly is now being transacted in thebe so, imagine what happens to those intelligent and
classroom ?. Let me once again quote Prof. Manueltalented children who are given only a poor exposure
who seriously studied the whole new ELT venture into the English language ? Dogs grow and perish usually
Kerala: "The examination scheme has changedwithin the compound wall of the family…but not
permitting more activity by the pupils. Under thesenecessarily human beings. Its frightening to conjure up
conditions, the better pupils are likely to achieve farthe kind of existence the child is likely to have once it
more than they did earlier. They are more free fromenters the world of adults! Well, educationists have
the fetters of the teacher-controlled uniform rhythm,drawn several insights from the Pavlovian dog... and
with a chance of achieving many of the expectedmight go on to justify the kind of stuff being delivered
objectives. But the ordinary and below average pupilstoday in the language classrooms. But dear reader ,
pass through the motions of the activity without reallyyou and I know that the human mind never works like
realising the higher objectives. Since the evaluationthat of an animal. If you are sensible, and if rotten food
procedures are liberalised, many of these glaringis served, you will say 'No'… You will shun the
mistakes (and failure to really get a real control ofperson who serves such food and turn to those that
English language even at SSLC level by most pupils)serve better quality food. The point I am trying to
have not got focussed. The availability of bazaarmake is that one may know, that one has every right
notes written from the old perspectives, violating all theto get better quality education but one may fail to get it
modern principles, and supplying material for satisfying, if one has a slavish existence!
the project assignments by copying from them hasAre Malayalees really aiming to tick smart?
also been a factor in distorting the objectives. There isThe greatest harm all this does to education is that
reason to believe that there are some high levelMalayalees do not realize the kind of intellectually
resource persons behind the production of materials.impoverished citizens for the global world which they
But it would seem that the lower rungs of resourcewill be nurturing in Government run schools where the
persons do not have these competencies and mostnew English Currriculum is diligently being implemented.
teachers have not imbibed them. The new curriculumSome of them are likely to lack a sense of grace in
requires a high level of competency in English islanguage use and are most likely to be thoroughly
several dimensions and in pedagogically transactingignorant of literary classics. It is a flaw which would be
them in the spirit of the new scheme. It must beapparently poignant when the learner of the present
recorded that the highest level of pupils now reallysystem attempts to communicate as a votary of the
achieve English competencies - several times whatarteries that the Techno Park or the Smart city of the
they were attaining even five years ago - because oflittle state of Kerala. And who knows, these 'lesser
the higher visible targets and more freedom. But themortals' may one day directly or indirectly serve all
ordinary and below average pupils have cumulativesections of our society!
deficiencies in English competencies - which may beWhat Malayalees need today is the concerted efforts
three to six years for most".of experienced educationists especially of the older
Struggle for survival…?generation, the civil servants, elected representatives,
It is interesting to note the kind of individuals who endand of course the affluent class who can be willing
up as the new generation English language teachers insponsors to chalk out a meaningful programme for
God's own country. Some have a bachelors degree inEnglish language teaching in God's Own Country .
Functional or Communicative English . They are aFailing to do so could result in Malayalees failing to
breed of English teachers to whom the magnum opuseffectively utilize the products of their 'Smart City' or
of Joyce or Eliot are simply beyond their grasp and theTechno Park which is striving to make Malayalees the
intellectual masterpieces of FR Leavis or WalterChildren of a Greater God !
Benjamin , shamefully unpalatable! After all, to pass theConclusion
MA English correspondence course which over aExperienced teachers of the older generation see the
dozen Universities in South India offers never requireskind of English language teaching given in God's Own
a smattering of the literary sensibility of the stalwartsCountry a kind of trivialization of English language
of English literature !...Baazar guides could alwaysteaching (ELT). The over emphasis on teaching
assure the acquiring of a PG degree in flying colours!'language functions' and 'discourses' as part of
Could this be the reason for advocatingCommunicative Language Teaching and the neglect of
Communicative Language Teaching in the classroom?English literature, the older generation of teachers
New … but ill conceivedbelieve , impoverishes English language education and
A few other time tested approaches to Englishmakes literary sense which gives grace to ones use
Language Teaching (ELT) is also being ignored in theof language, difficult to cultivate in learners.
teaching of English in Kerala . These include the use ofIf we don't guide and help the common man who
TV , Film and the New media for language teaching .sends his child to a Government run school, to see the
But the hitch is that today, English Curriculumflaws in the kind of English language education their
developers in Kerala dub all other forms of Englishchildren receive, we will one day regret the kind of
language teaching as something worth ignoring. Theproducts this system is likely to generate .Much water
result is that Communicative Language Teaching andwould in the next few days flow under the magnificent
discourse- based teaching and testing continues toBharatha Puzha rail bridge and what will be will be for
receive a privileged status. Unfortunately enough theEnglish Language Teaching in Kerala unless something
trend is not likely to halt because many Indianconcrete and constructive is done soon.