ENGLISH LEARNING IN INDIA:
Although initially the aim of English learning in India was to produce cheap clerks for the administration, yet the credit of starting English learning in India goes to the British government . In the course of time, English has been playing a pivotal role in the national lives of India. In the pre independence period English was a unifying force of nationalism and in the post independence scenario Indian writing in English influences the world literature. In the post independence scenario different commissions and dignitaries of India envisaged their views on English as the storehouse of knowledge. THE EDUCATION COMMISSION OF 1964-66 said that student opting for university degree should acquire some proficiency in English.
The term English as a language is very vast than what we ordinarily may mean by the term. English has numerous varities in terms of region, education and social standing, subject matter, medium and attitude. There is a common core among all these varities which we understand in actual hearing or reading. This common core is the grammatical and other common characteristics that run through these varities and helps to convey meaning in interaction with different people. Apart from having informative, expressive, directive and ceremonial function, language as a means of communication symbolizes the cultures in our societies where individuals interact with each other. People need methods of visual symbolization of speech to perform different purposeful activities such as to interact and to share common interests. The development of globalization and transportation has influenced global relation to a great extent and demand from us a more practical attitude towards teaching language so as to bring people all over the world into close contact with modern civilization. In this respect Communication is the key power not only to facilitate interactions but to build stronger relationships among individuals. To build a strong relationship with individuals of the world the importance of English language learning becomes pertinent. English as a language has great reach and influence; it is taught all over the world. Today’s world considers English as a global language. It is widely spread or spoken by people around the world. It makes news daily in many countries and is adopted by many countries. It has a special role to play in the countries where it has been accepted as the official language and is being used as a medium of communication. English is the international language of business and opens up many opportunities to non-native speakers. Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) instructors provide a valuable service to immigrants in English-speaking countries. English is no longer language of the colonizers.
When we refer to English as a second language we focus on the order in which the language is learnt. It never weighs down the importance of the language. Teaching English as a second language is a high demand subject of instruction that continues to experience growth in schools across the country. The demand for English has been sweeping almost all the fields of national life like politics, international relations, media, Communication, travel and education. As most of the innovations of the world come down from the English-speaking countries, those who wish to update their knowledge and learn about new inventions need to learn English well. This need has resulted in a dramatic increase of the expository material in the English language. Besides all the dictionaries, encyclopedias and books of knowledge are written and printed in English. Hence, the access to new knowledge is only through the English language The English language has been an important medium of the press too. To trace the history we will have to peep back nearly 400 years from now. Right from the Weekly News (l622) and the London Gazette (1666), there has been a continuous rise of newspapers and Journals in English. According to the data compiled by the Encyclopedia Britannica (1994), about a third of the world’s newspapers are being published in the countries where the English language has a special status. In 1995-96, over 4, 00,000 candidates worldwide took English language examination. Keeping in view such importance of the language, here an attempt has been made to locate problems of English language learning and need of teacher’s training to solve the same.
