LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Challenges Encountered by Teachers in Rural Areas and
Strategies to Triumph Over

P. Padmini. M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.
M. Anbukkani, M.A., M.Phil. Candidate

Length of Study Should Help, But Here …

Even after years of learning English at school, many students fail to learn the language. They are unable to communicate freely in the language.

After six years of learning English as a subject at school and three years of compulsory English at college, our average Undergraduate cannot speak a correct sentence in English, Write hi, Curriculum Vitae, or even read an English Daily. There is no exaggeration. Complaints such as these are voiced all over the country. Parents, teachers, examiners and employers complain our learner's poor achievement in English (S. C. Sood, 1995: 167).

When they enter college most of the students do not perform well. Even after a decade of learning English in schools students are not able to use it appropriately to meet their needs. They fail to use the language effectively in day to day communication.

This problem is very acute with the students who come from the rural parts. We also notice that English language teachers in rural areas face many problems and come across a variety challenges that hinder effective teaching and learning of English as a second language. We need to continuously identify these problems and challenges, analyze these in order to remedial steps.

Negative Attitude

Negative attitude toward learning and using English is still prevalent in the rural regions of India. A part of the reason is historical - earlier generations were subjects under the British rule, only some classes of people, a very small number, indeed, learned English with enthusiasm and occupied position of influence authority in British India. We are now a free nation for over 60 years, and yet English has not yet penetrated into our rural parts and the families of first generation learners. However, there certainly is some dramatic change in the last decade. English now enjoys a pre-eminent place in the Western world and those who seek who seek personal and social prosperity, have softened their attitude toward the English language which in the past was viewed with fear suspicion as a symbol of servitude. Unfortunately, this dynamic change and transition have not yet led to change in teaching and learning strategies in the rural parts.

The attitude of the rural students can neither be called completely negative nor completely positive. Their attitude is paradoxical. They like English and, in this sense, their attitude is positive. However, they find English very difficult. They believe that English is too difficult a language for them to learn.

Their own attitude towards their ability and capacity is also negative. This negative attitude along with their attitude towards their English language teachers, whom they are afraid of as symbol of authority, de-motivates them.

Their negative attitude is stronger than their positive attitude and obviously it is a great challenge for the teacher to break off the negative attitude of the students and teach the language effectively.

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