LANGUAGE IN INDIA

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Volume 25:1 January 2025
ISSN 1930-2940

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Challenges of Teaching English Communication Skills in NIT Srinagar

Uzma Nisar and Prof. Aejaz Mohammed Sheikh

Abstract

English Communication skills are indispensable for the engineering students; not just academically but also for their future careers. English communication skills course forms an important component of various engineering colleges, including National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar. NIT Srinagar is a public technical institute in Kashmir, and is one among the fully funded institutes of the Central Government. The English Communication Skills paper is part of the syllabus in the B.Tech program under the title ‘Basic English and Communication Skills’ in the first semester and ‘Advanced English Communication Skills & Organizational Behavior’ in the second semester. Both of these are compulsory papers in the first two semesters of the following streams: Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Communication, Computer Science, Information Technology, Civil, Mechanical and Metallurgy & Material Science, and comprise of three credits each. The syllabus in the said college has been framed with specific aims and objectives. Apart from methods and teaching aids, the motivation and curiosity of the learners play a major role in the teaching learning process. In addition to lack of motivation among students, the teachers face many difficulties including the syllabus, educational and lingual background of the learners, medium of instruction at school level, among others. Amongst all this the teachers also need to continuously improve their English communicative skills. Given this backdrop, the present paper aims to study the challenges faced by teachers in NIT Srinagar.

Keywords: English Communication Skills, Engineering College, Syllabus, Challenges, Teachers, NIT Srinagar.

1. Introduction

English language has become a major medium for communication across borders globally; a deficiency in this area may result in barriers for an individuals’ personal and professional development. To overcome this deficiency and to keep a check on the English language skills of an individual, time to time evaluation is required. It is concerned with assessing things like effectiveness of the teaching strategies, methods and techniques, etc. and is of paramount importance in improving the effectiveness and quality of any program. In the teaching learning situation, evaluation is a concept that deals not only with the classroom examination system but also with the syllabus, teaching methodology and difficulties faced in the teaching learning process. Prakasam.V. (2011) explains the problems of learning English in India: “In India it is not the language of our being or identity. It has come to be the language of doing, language of academics and the language of recognition. It is learnt, not really ‘acquired’ from ‘the days of being in the womb’. English is heard everyday all around us, but English does not help us ‘socialize’ or ‘mature’ within our ‘experience’. It helps us ‘grow’ outside our ‘inner circle’. In spite of all our efforts, we cannot really get many ‘coordinate bilinguals’ with our academic or professional exposure to English. The point of reference will always be a native variety of English. That’s why I call English National Foreign Language”.

2. 2. Importance of English for Engineering Students

English is the most widely spoken language in the world, and it serves as a common language for international communication. The importance of the English language for engineers cannot be overstated. Engineers often work on global projects, collaborate with colleagues from different countries, and communicate with clients and stakeholders worldwide. Proficiency in English language enables engineers to effectively convey their ideas, understand requirements, and collaborate with diverse teams.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Uzma Nisar, Research Scholar
Department of Linguistics, University of Kashmir
uzmanisar91@gmail.com

Aejaz Mohammed Sheikh
Professor
Department of Linguistics, University of Kashmir
sheikh.aejazm@gmail.com
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