There is a myth lying in the core of the mind of all the parents that English medium is the first and the last choice to them for the purpose of learning rich and effective Spoken English of their offspring. In India and other Asian countries , English medium institutions play a predominant role in the psyche of the parents who are very much focused for the future of their successors. This is why Spoken English classes have became so popular in India.
Today’s guardians have a blind faith on English medium school especially for the spoken English because without this skill nobody gets a privilege to work in any MNC . The guardians are obsessed with English medium education only for building a strong foundation in spoken English . Spoken English skill is their crying need.
Due to the mushroom of growth of the MNC and unabated closure of Government job opportunity , It’s transparent to the parents regarding the future of their sons or daughters . But the innumerable growth of unstructured English medium schools are hammering on their ambition and desire every day .
All these pseudo English medium schools are simply pouring water into their effort and aspiration . These so called English medium schools simply play ducks and drakes with the future ambition of the students’ parents as well as students’ spoken English capability .
Are they truly an English medium institutions ? Why do they not emphasize strongly on the spoken English Skill which is the prerequisite criterion of all the guardians ? The pitfalls of these pseudo English medium schools are unquestionably the most baneful for the growth of vocal communication in English . Let us analyze the problems categorically .
Schools without Affiliation :-
A ton of English medium schools have no affiliation of their own . These institutions simply run their curriculum without abiding by the prescribed guidelines of the council . They have neither any attached field and ground for playing nor they have any adequate library and laboratory .
They impart and train the students from KG – standard VIII and from IX they tie up with any affiliated schools through which their students are allowed to sent up for Board examination . Naturally these genres of schools neither maintain their own standard nor protect the future of their students . They never give stress on the intensity of spoken or vocal skill .
Appointed Teachers are Less Paid :-
It’s very unfortunate that the nation builders are mostly less paid in most unaffiliated unstructured pseudo English medium school . As a result , the teachers are rather more focused on doing private tuition than teaching in school with great energy and gusto .
The rate of increment of the emolument of the respected teachers are sluggish in these schools . How could the guardians expect that the teachers will teach their sons and daughters with great fillip ? This affects directly on rich spoken English efficiency .
Teachers are not Well Equipped :-
Most of the English medium schools run their schools without any affiliation . As a result , they flout the norms and regulations of the council . They emphasize more on budget and cost curtailment . They search for those teachers who demand less .
Those English medium schools even sacrifice the interest and betterment of the of the future of the students by recruiting teachers who have neither proper educational background nor having any educational experience . This hampers vehemently on the spoken English attribute.
I can provide you with simple example. There are some English medium students enrolled in my Online English Courses. Why did they do that?
Teachers’ Educational Background :-
This is one of the salient drawbacks from the end of the English medium schools . Most of the selected and recruited teachers in those schools had passed their educational qualification in Bengali medium or in any other regional Board medium .
A teacher’s own medium of study in her own academic journey is in any vernacular language except English . In that case , it is very problematic for him or her to lecture in the class in English . S/he studied from school final to M.Ed in regional language .
These kind of teachers will face hardship in delivering lectures or communicating with the students in English . This is one of the potent reasons for which the students of many English medium schools are not so rich in spoken English as they are expected to be .
Students’ Negligence :-
A student in Science or Commerce stream in Higher Secondary pays attention more on his or her Science subjects . The English book and the subject remain untouched throughout the year . The students seem confident enough to cover up the English books prescribed for their syllabus only in fifteen days before the inception of the examination .
Their spoken English efficiency gets affected a lot due to their flagrant negligence in disguise of over confidence towards the English . This over confidence mostly affects their spoken English ability .
Parents’ Inadequacy :-
A student spends a lion share of his or her time in his or her home with parents and families . Home is the first school and the perfect supplementary and complementary of schools . Apart from teaching in schools , a family plays a vital role in nourishing the students through communication . There are some guardians who think that sending their children to any English medium schools is enough .
Their children will be vocally well equipped with the magical touch of the teachers in the school . These guardians simply reside in fools’ paradise . The guardians have to communicate with their children in English . Their children should be given a social English ambiance and English association both within family and outside family .
English is not Spoken in School Premise :-
In most of these sort of above mentioned English medium schools , the teachers never communicate with their students in English within their school campus . The students always communicate with their peers in their vernacular language . This is not at all monitored by the school authority . The teachers never ever enforce the students to communicate in English within school campus .
Self Complacent :-
The students of these English medium schools get 99 out of 100 in English only by paying attention to the subject English just before the commencement of the examination . If a student gives minimal effort and yields maximum , then they resort that practice easily .
The spelling pitfalls , handwriting , quality writing are not at all considered as a parameter for getting good score in the examination . This makes the students self complacent . If a fortnight study of English could get him or her 90+ marks , then the students will never put their utmost endeavor .
About the Author
Indrajit Ganguly
Hi! I am Indrajit Ganguly. People all across the globe know me by my professional nickname IG. I am a spoken English trainer in Kolkata and Blogger. I love to write blogs and articles that attract me.
It has been understood from this article that English medium school students can’t speak in English because they have no ambiance. They never communicate in English either in school or at home.
The teachers never communicate in English with the students in school because they are less experienced and speak in vernacular language.
The article talks about those schools that don’t pay attention to the betterment of students.
The biggest problem in Indian student who are studying in English medium school, is that the parents want their child to study in a English medium school but the parents are not so fluent with the language (English) . So they can’t converse with their child in English . And if the child try to speak in English with there friends or in a public place in reply he gets embarrassment because some people will pull his leg in public and put his moral-esteem down and hence that lead the child not to speak English in public ever again .
In some school the mode of education may be in English but the student’s and the teachers of the school does not focus in communicating in English , they prefer the vernacular language .
So I believe for Indian children’s to speak fluent in English the teachers have to be comfortable with the language and the school have to ensure that the parents also knows English as well .
I think there are some couple of reasons why students can’t speak properly.
(1) Teachers never communicate with students in English.
(2) Lack of practice.
(3) Social ambiance of students.
Most English medium schools do not emphasize strongly on the spoken English skill because most of English medium schools have no affiliation of their own. Today, English medium schools is just for the name because they never communicate with students in English. They never give stress on the intensity of spoken English.
Most English medium students can’t speak good English because lack of practice and never communicate with their friends and teachers in English.The students always communicate with their peers in their vernacular language.
A family plays a vital role in nourishing the students through communication. There are some guardians who thinks that sending their children to any English medium school is enough but children should be given a social English ambiance and English association both with in family and outside family.
Thank you sir to write on this important article. Somehow i agree with you. There are some reasons which i want to share. The vast majority of the schools have no association of their own .
The educators are less qualified
and also they don’t talk in English. There is no space for discussion in English in school premise . Being an understudy of English medium , they try to ignore in English .
But i think students from any medium school want to speak English, should focus on their speaking skill in this language. They should increase their speaking capabilities without any fear and hesitation. Actually it’s not like that we can’t speak English but we always try to impress that person who is listening our speech. We should be confident and fearless and also have to fix our problems in speaking, only then we can speak English fluently.
Most English medium students cannot speak good English because most schools do not have their own infrastructure. They are just English medium schools in name only. There are also not enough teachers to teach spoken English. Also the main reason for this problem is that students do not get a chance to speak English with their teachers. Students are not given opportunities. As there is no place for conversation in English, they go back a lot and are not properly evaluated. As a result, their confidence in speaking spoken English is greatly reduced.
One really has to feel for those helpless guardians who admit their wards into English medium schools spending their last resources with the hope that their children will get quality jobs in their career courtesy to their proficiency in their English language (both speaking and writing) but at the end of the day all the expectations are either shattered or fractionally fulfilled.
Now ,since Government jobs are few and far between in comparison to the job demands,so quite obviously parents are determined to make their children prepared for multi-national private company jobs which demand tremendous skills in English language.
But what makes things worse is the failure of deliverance from the part of most of the English medium schools. There are some schools which are really good and renowned over the years; but they charge such exorbitant fees that middle class people find that beyond their reach. So they have to opt for schools with medium -budget or low-budget. Now the latter schools don’t have qualified teachers, except very few cases, and also proper infrastructure(Language laboratory) to impart highest quality communication skills in English .First of all, they don’t have the monetary strength to recruit well qualified teachers; secondly quality of students play a huge role here. Most of the students of these schools will find it almost impossible to comprehend
if all the instructions are imparted in English. According to educationists like Chomsky or Piajet, some innate capacity is required on behalf of the students to acquire a foreign language. That’s why these schools take recourse to vernacular languages to suit students’ purpose. As a result, the students cannot develop a proper communicative
skill in English.
There is no point to blame the guardians’ inability in English;if they in general had that type of capability, then there would have been no point to hanker after English medium institutions. It’s because of their dearth in English that they become desperate for English medium schools.
So firstly thank you sir for bringing this topic..
‘English’ is not our mother tongue. So in our country from birth children doesn’t listen this language and we all know how listing is important .They are habituated with their own Language at home and family. After taking admission of the so called English medium school they realised that how important this language is. So I think students should give more attention to their speaking ability . You shared the reality of the English medium schools now a days. So if you want to communicate in english and speake a good english which is important in today’s world, you should give more attention and concentration in your own study. You have to culture the language with your friends and family. Don’t depend much on the schools because their are lots of inner problems which you can’t change. So better do it yourself.
Absolutely right you are.
“English” is just a language. But in our country “English” is used as our Skill or ability or Education Standards. Though India is The second Most English spoken country In the World.
Being a Student from a prestigious “Bengali Medium school”, i can proudly say, i can speak, read, write english properly. If you want to learn properly, i think mode of education should not be a barrier. Rather than that,Now a days ” English Medium school” ensure one’s status in their society.
English is our communicative language, like all other languages. We should do respect to all languages along with English Language.
To some people,English Medium people can Speak English Properly. But if you want to learn proper English, then, it might be english medium or bengali medium, you can. But if you dont want to learn, anyone cannot make you learn.I know lot of guy from “English medium”, cannot speak english properly, Even can’t pronounce words properly.
This is completely my Thoughts. Thank you sir for raising this Topic.
If I do something with love and passion I believe I can do the best. Similarly if someone is amiable with the language he/she can do the best. I don’t believe that an English medium guy can speak better English or have better knowledge in vocabulary or can communicate freely in English. It depends on which ambiance his/her mind is growing up and obviously it is home, where they are spending the maximum time everyday. So, besides school and private tuition (these are like commercial nowadays) home is the best place where one can capture the things. I think it’s natural and moreover one have to have their self confidence to do good in things. So the school (whether it’s English medium or Bengali medium) might not be only cause for this topic.
Thank you Sir for bringing this point up and being amenable to our suggestions.
Being a student of an utmost prestigious “Bengali Medium” school, I really don’t have that much idea about newly formed so called English medium schools. Personally, it always used to make me suffer from inferiority complex thinking I am from a Bengali medium institution, so I can do nothing in life. I was wrong. I do believe only being amicable with the language “English” can make you good in English. Medium of study doesn’t actually effect that much on how a student will become at that language.
If we start contemplating on this matter, we will be blaming parents for this too as it can never be only institutions’ fault to not to speak English always in the premises. As no parents can proudly say that we always use to speak in English at home,no it is not possible. But if they really want their successors to be good at spoken English,they should start the habit of speaking in English at home too as their child only spends a quarter of a day at school. When they are spending greater portion of a day speaking in their mother tongue,how can they be fluent in English and how can that be only the institution’s fault?
As you always welcome healthy argument, I have pointed this out. Practising is only key to speak fluent English and that can only be possible by speaking not only at school but also at home.
I can relate with the whole article because I have studied in a so called English medium school with having less or no grip in my English communication skills.
From nursery to class VII, I have studied in a school which had no affiliation, then my parents changed my school which is also a pseudo English medium school. Most of the teachers explained their topics using regional language. I have no idea why they called themselves English medium.
I think the change can only be made by the parents while selecting their children’s school and also providing them the homely atmosphere to speak English.
Actually the biggest problem in Indian education system is that it made the parents to think in such a way like without taking science after 10th boards their child will never be successful in his/her life. So naturally what they do they study english to just pass the subject rather than loving it . So naturally when finally they are passing the board and joining a new institution or going abroad for further studies they are facing the actual scenario .
Yup . I understand your point .
And the solution is make a revolution in Indian education system.
In India there are so many crook English medium schools. The teachers of those schools don’t know good English. They don’t know how to pronounce properly. (This is the first point)
The mentality of Indian students and parents are how to pass in exam and how to earn money in a little work. (This is the second point)
In our society there is a a counterfeit thinking that only a student of English medium can speak high standard English .Whereas, if the student have the willingness to learn high standard English they can even if they belong to a Bengali medium. Thanks to this article which can help some of the gardens for the peoples of the society to pull out the misconception.
In our society everyone think that only English medium students could speak good English but ig explain that very well ……..In my experience they know only grammar rules they don’t know how to speak English some of my cousins she was also belongee in English medium school but her English was not so good after that she also joined spoken English classs for her language ……so english medium students also humiliate Bengali medium students as well as …………..and they think there english language is very good but sir said that there english is not good they only focus on subject not in language…..so that is not important that from which medium we are belonging …….. We have to upgrade our self like anyhow neither we will fall in big trouble ….so in India country everyone know our English not so good but we will prove that we will also able to speake in English …..
In our society everyone think that only English medium students could speak good English but ig explain that very well ……..In my experience they know only grammar rules they don’t know how to speak English some of my cousins she was also belongee in English medium school but her English was not so good after that she also joined spoken English classs for her language ……so english medium students also humiliate Bengali medium students as well as …………..and they think there english language is very good but sir said that there english is not good they only focus on subject not in language…..so that is not important that from which medium we are belonging …….. We have to upgrade our self like anyhow neither we will fall in big trouble ….so in India country everyone know our English not so good but we will prove that we will also able to speake in English …..