KARACHI:
With the advent of globalisation, English became the universal language and medium of communication. Today, with the world considered a global village, learning the English language has become a requirement for all. In Pakistan, English is considered a magic wand that one can wave and change the world.
Out fascination of the language stems from a deep British colonial mindset that has been ingrained in our mind. We automatically claim those that speak fluent English as superior. Therefore, the demand of learning English as a primary language has been increasing by leaps and bounds among the youth. Unfortunately, an apartheid education pedagogy and methodology are prevalent in Pakistan. There are two types of schools: English medium and Urdu medium. Both follow different teaching structures and adhere to different syllabuses. Enlgish medium schools follow the international British system of education with exams made and conducted by the Cambridge International Examination board. Most Urdu medium schools follow an outdated and rather archaic national Matriculation syllabus.
Regardless of the difference one thing remains the same: rote-learning has been prioritised for learning English, especially in public schools. Students were asked to remember lexicons, focus on grammatical structure and word to word translation. Anyone with proper teaching knowledge knows that grammar is not restricted to syntax but also includes other features such as phonetics, phonology, morphology and semantics. Unfortunately, majority of teachers in different schools across the country are unaware about these features.
Naimatullah Gadhi
Khairpur Mirs
Published in The Express Tribune, February 2nd, 2021.
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