English teaching
As far as English teaching at the SSC and HSC levels is concerned the motto has been communicative English. It emphasises communicative competence whereby a learner is able to produce meaningful sentences in different contexts. In other words, in communicative method, two skills-- listening and speaking --get the priority. The irony is that in our country the students of those classes have to sit for a written test where the two skills--reading and writing---are tested.
Again the prevalent situation of most of the educational institutions is not helpful for oral learning activists. As most of the public institutions accommodate a huge number of students, the question of teacher-student interaction remain unrealised. As regards teaching material, the teacher in most cases is equipped with pieces of chalk and a duster only.
From this year the authorities have brought in changes in the syllabus of English second paper at the HSC level. Forty marks have been allotted for questions on grammar and sixty marks for composition. So grammar is back, which shows that in our context it is quite impossible to implement the communicative syllabus.
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