Language Lessons

Updated on: Wednesday, December 07, 2011

The ‘cultural capital of India’ played host to an intellectually stimulating discussion on ‘Do English language skills pay an economic and social dividend?’ at the British Council recently.

The talk delivered by Hywel Coleman, senior research fellow, University of Leeds, marked the launch of ‘Dreams and Realities: Developing Countries and the English Language’, a global publication by the British Council that has been edited by him.

Dr Shashi Panja, member, mayor-in-council in charge of education, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, launched ‘Dreams and Realities’. Ray Mackay, a recipient of the MBE for his services to education in West Bengal, chaired the lecture by Hywel Coleman, recipient of the OBE for his services to education in Indonesia.

While delivering the welcome address, Sujata Sen, director, British Council East India, said, “English being the language of international cooperation and education, the book brings together a selection of studies from across the globe. It is meant to provoke more discussions in the context of English language education.”

A short film on a first generation learner and teacher from the tribal community of rural West Bengal was screened to showcase the ‘remarkable transformation’ in English education in primary schools.

Dr Panja said, “English used to be a library language but now it is the language of empowerment. Imposition of a vernacular language can be construed as cultural aggression but English has a unifying effect.” Mackay said, “The time of the book’s publication comes at an opportune moment for primary education and teacher training initiatives.”

The talk dealt with four key issues pertaining to English language education, primarily, the precedence of economic dividend or human development, questioning the possibility of any concrete economic dividends, the risks associated with English and the roles it usefully plays.

Coleman said, “Focussing on economic development is insufficient, we need to investigate the role and contribution of English with respect to indicators in the Human Development Reports published by the UNDP.”

“English is important but it is not the only international language, its importance is easily exaggerated, the rhetoric is sometimes louder than facts, there are risks associated with it, more research and insights from other fields like development studies and economics are required. However, English is a language of wider communication, employment, international mobility; it unlocks development opportunities and also serves as a ‘link’ language,” concluded Coleman.

Language Lessons

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