Drop the “HINDI se ENGLISH” Approach (PART 1)

Why do Indians face problem in learning English grammar and in English speaking as well as the pronunciation of English words?

In our country, only 10% of the population has proficiency in English speaking.

On the other hand, a substantial part of the populace, around 20% are able to understand English and manage to speak in English in case of emergency, that too with limited skill or knowledge. They can only have a small English-speaking conversation that too with wrong English grammar.

Although, with the advancement in the education system, most parents send their children to English medium schools. Despite that, many students are unable to communicate in English fluently.

The Indian education system is somewhere at fault. The schools merely focus on developing reading and writing skills (rote learning) when it comes to teaching the English language. Students are asked to practice reading and writing essays and paragraphs but are rarely asked to practice speaking in front of the class or in the school with other students.

Thus, in spite of English being taught as a second language in schools, students are only good at reading and writing in English but lag behind when it comes to English speaking.

Even the teachers in English medium schools do not speak correct English. In some cases, the parents have limited to zero knowledge of the language. So, the environment around the students is not favourable to promote the habit of English speaking.

Eventually, students adopt the approach of translating HINDI words into ENGLISH, before they speak in English. They adopt this habit of thinking in Hindi first and then they try to convert their thoughts in English. This approach only hinders their ability to learn English.

So, when the students come to BAFEL for improving their English-speaking skills, the first tactic that we teach them is to “Drop the HINDI se ENGLISH Approach” of learning and understanding English.

When students come to BAFEL, to improve their English speaking skills, the common challenge that is faced by them is, that they can somehow understand English when others speak but themselves cannot speak in English with correct English grammar. This is because they are unable to communicate their thoughts in words with confidence and fluency.

In the next article of the series, we would throw more light on how to “Drop the HINDI se ENGLISH Approach”. While becoming more fluent in English speaking.