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Call to bring consistency in education policy </div>
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March 27, 2014 </div>
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Arshad Bhatti </a>
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<p>LAHORE - Speakers at a policy dialogue titled “English language in
Pakistan today: class, the workplace and the shift in language use”
stressed the need for consistency in education policy to get better
results. <br>The dialogue was organised by British Council here at a
local hotel on Wednesday. British Council Director English Mussarrat
Mashhadi presented the results of a research conducted by the council on
the English teaching. <br>The focus of this policy dialogue was to
engage educationists and language experts in an interactive discussion
that would generate ideas and recommendations to feed into a more
effective language policy.<br>The research shows that Pakistan is a
country where English teaching is unevenly distributed and very much
class based. People who can afford to go to private institutions have
access to better learning material, authentic learning environments and
well trained teachers which all encourage better English. In comparison
poor and lower income families who do not have the means to send their
children to these private expensive schools.<br>It says the existence of
pseudo English medium schools is rampant in the society. These claim to
have English as a medium of instruction but the entire conversation and
communication between the students and the teachers is in Urdu. English
is not taught as a language but rather as a subject, confined to the
40-minute English class sessions.<br>The urban-rural divide in the
standard of English teaching is very wide. People in urban settings have
much more choice and better quality of teaching and learning facilities
available as compared to the rural areas. Interestingly, according to
the research, 75 percent male teachers in public schools and 86 per cent
male teachers in private schools say that English should be the medium
of education; whereas 83 per cent female teachers in public schools and
89 percent in private schools say the same. <br>The dialogue offered
rich and purposeful discussions on a range of issues through keynote
speeches, panel discussions, round table discussions and provided an
opportunity to offer opinions and recommendations; bringing together
professionals from the education, media and economic sectors.<br>Themes
discussed at the policy dialogue included a debate on ‘Whose English is
it anyway?’, Exploring how English is used in advertising through the
subtle shifts from concepts in English to copy in Urdu, whether English
would as important today if Pakistan as an innovative manufacturing base
and other relevant topics. <br>Talking to The Nation British Council
Director Programmes Tony Jones said exposure for a foreign language was
good for children and multilingualism was common in humans. He said that
British Council was keen to raise the standards of English teaching in
Pakistan. He said other than Punjab government, they were working with
KPK government for the purpose. Furthermore, he said they would also be
working with Sindh government soon for uplift of English teaching
standards in the province. <br>Tony said: “Being in Lahore to discuss
the English language in Pakistan with local experts has been a
fascinating experience. May the debate and all conversations continue”. A
survey presented on the occasion shows that acceptability of English is
growing in Pakistan as the users of English language are also growing.
<br>Lahore School of Economics Prof Dr Shahid Sidduiqe said that no
language was weak or strong but it was socio economic factor which make
any language weak or strong. He said language was not only reflection
that what was going on in society but it was considered as life chance –
education life chance, social life chance. <br>Addressing the audience,
Beacon House National University Dean of Department of Education Dr
Tariq Rehman said that “The best policy for medium of instruction is to
teach small children in their mother tongue. The policy must be for all
and not just for government institutions”.</p> </div><a href="http://www.nation.com.pk/lahore/27-Mar-2014/call-to-bring-consistency-in-education-policy">http://www.nation.com.pk/lahore/27-Mar-2014/call-to-bring-consistency-in-education-policy</a><br clear="all">
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