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The global picture The introduction of English teaching in lower primary schools in India reflects wider trends in English education around the world.
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cross the world, English has traditionally belonged to the ‘foreign languages’ curriculum and was typically taught from the age of 11 or 12 (Class 6). The ageproficiency relationships which this traditional EFL model was expected to generate during the school years is shown in the ‘escalator’ (2.14) Each step on the escalator matches an age (shown in the circle) against an expected level of proficiency, as expressed in three currencies: the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), the relevant Cambridge ESOL exam, and an IELTS level.
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The traditional approach allows only six years of learning before leaving secondary school or entering university which, in most school timetables, does not allow students to reach the proficiency level required for university study through English. As English proficiency came to be seen as a necessary criterion of ‘graduateness’, universities in many countries began to require students of any subject to reach a certain standard of English proficiency before they could obtain their degree. This often aspired to be around IELTS 6.0 but in practice, given the poor starting levels of students and, at times, indifferent
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motivation, rarely exceeded FCE/IELTS 5.5. This level is not regarded as sufficient for academic study through the medium of English, or for professional use. Now IN PrIMAry SCHooL
A minimum proficiency level in English is increasingly regarded as an entrance requirement for university. This is now the norm in many European countries, and in some universities in China. Even where university teaching is not conducted through English, students may be expected to be able to understand English textbooks. The growing role of English in higher education is one reason why a new global orthodoxy has emerged: learners begin in primary school, where they learn the basics of the language, then develop English as a language of study in secondary school. This model generates completely different ageproficiency relationships, as shown in 2.15, and prepares students better for university. Another motive for embedding English into the basic curriculum is because it has become a global lingua franca which will be useful for all students, especially those who get jobs in the services sector. For this reason, some countries now expect all school-leavers to attain a level equivalent to at least B1. Achieving this in India will be a challenge, since compulsory schooling is completed by age 14. There is, however, a need to decide on a minimum level of English as one of the expected outcomes of universal education.
• part two • learning english in india