• English language proficiency is an enabler for career advancement, social mobility, and income generation
• Students must recognise the importance of English language skills, develop a programme to acquire all skills

After opening the new session of parliament, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa made an announcement about his policy statement. He has stated that one of his policies will be to develop facilities at all schools to improve English language skills.

This is very promising news for the student population, especially to rural schools’ students, teachers, academics, and parents. Compared to urban schools, rural schools experience some disadvantages in learning and teaching the English language, due to deficiencies in physical and human resources; this proposed policy should provide a means to reduce this disadvantage.

English is the largest language spoken (by number of speakers) and third most spoken native language in the world after Chinese and Spanish. English is either the official language or one of the official languages in almost 60 sovereign states (Wikipedia). The World Economic Forum estimates 1.5 billion people around the world speak the English language, fewer than 400 million have it as their first language. (The future of English, BBC World Service). It is the most widely learned second language in the world. 
 

Lack of proficiency in English skills is one of the main causes for unemployment. Poor language skills are one of the barriers for graduates to seek employment particularly in the private sector. Hence, private sector prefers to hire non-graduates with good language skills, compared to graduates.

According to Wickramasuriya (2005), English language competence is the most essential factor for employment in the private sector, and it is important to progress in the public sector. Migrants who immigrate to English speaking countries (e.g. UK, USA, Canada, Australia) can often struggle to obtain jobs if their language skills are not on par with their educational qualifications. This often forces them to become self-employed or seek blue-collar jobs. 

The English language also helps develop networking with different ethnic groups. The English language is the world’s ‘lingua franca’, serving as a common language among people who speak different languages.
Students who want to pursue further studies or professional courses must have proficiency in the English language. Further, students who intend to seek admission in foreign universities are required to pass the English language exam, most commonly the IELTS (The International English Language Testing System) or TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). 

English language proficiency is an enabler for career advancement, social mobility, and income generation.  Most of the students realise the importance of English language skills only when they seek job opportunities. It is often too late then. Improving on English language skills is a long-term commitment and lifelong learning activity. Students must recognise the importance of English language skills, develop a programme to acquire all skills, and effectively make use of all the available resources and facilities provided by the Government to develop competency in this language.

David G. Payne (2014) explains that globally, more people than ever before are studying English, because it has become the international language of education and business.

The three important English language skills are reading, writing, and speaking skills. If students spend more time on reading, this would help them to develop their writing and speaking skills. Reading helps students to expand their vocabulary, understand sentence structure, gain exposure to new ideas and thereby improve their writing skills and styles. Glenn Davis (2016) argues that in the age of information overflow, reading skills are critical in taking advantage of this information.

Promoting reading among school children is very important to develop their overall English language proficiency. “Reading makes a full man” said English philosopher Sir Francis Bacon. But today it has been noticed that reading habits are declining not only among university students, but also among schoolchildren. Students should develop the habit of reading books and English newspapers; at least the week-end edition. Parents should encourage school children to use the school library or local public library. Every time a child completes reading a book, parents should congratulate and encourage them to read further. In the digital age, students are encouraged to use electronic dictionaries and other online resources to expand their vocabulary and master pronunciation.

Reading not only enhances students’ English language skills, but also helps to develop analytical, language and decision-making skills. Well-read students will develop good attitudes and well-formed opinions, enabling them to become good national and global citizens.

Given the available facilities and resources, students must also play an active role in learning the language.  
Finally, students must play an active role in learning this language. They must utilise all the facilities and resources provided by the Government. With hard work and dedications, students could improve their English proficiency, setting them up to achieve success in their careers and future endeavours.

(The writer is a former Senior Lecturer in Management at the University of Jaffna)