Bringing Back the Bathwater
New Initiatives in English Policy in Sri Lanka
In: The Politics of English as a World LanguageSearch for other papers by Rajiva Wijesinha in
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Abstract
This essay examines current changes in attitudes to English in the Sri Lankan education system. At independence from Britain fifty years ago standards were high but nationalists soon rejected English as a medium of instruction. Unfortunately, this also downgraded English, even as a second language. Though it was compulsory, failure to ensure good teachers meant that few students now can use the language satisfactorily. This has damaged higher education, since students cannot read books, while few are published in vernacular languages. Present remedial policies face entrenched attitudes, including a generation that saw English as the ‘kaduwa’, the sword cutting down aspirants to social advancement. Conversely some still believe English should conform to British standards, and that English courses at university should resemble British ones. This limits these to an elite that cannot help with teaching the majority of students now requiring basic language competence for educational and social advancement.