(UN)spoken English
Many English tutors do not really want to get their students to practise speaking in English at their so-called English classes, even if they are introduced as ‘Spoken English’ or ‘Conversational English’ classes. Everybody knows that there are too many English classes mushrooming throughout the island. But how many of the students of these classes are able to utter a few words in English?
I personally have observed a few classes conducted at Kalutara and Panadura and found out that no teachers want to have their students to speak at least a few words during the lessons in English. No teachers encourage their children to talk in English while the lessons were going on. Is this the correct way to teach a language? What those teachers do is, that their students are definitely supplied with attractively printed file-covers and well-designed lesson notes together with day-cards/calenders. These bogus documents do not really serve any useful service at all.
Students should thoroughly keep in their minds that a language is speech-based and it should, therefore, be spoken. As such, a language qualification should never be evaluated through certificates as it's never a paper-qualification.
H L Sunil Shantha
Senior Lecturer, Sri Jinarathana English Academy
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