English as medium of instruction at Elementary level: Issues/perspectives and Suggestions

Introduction
Pakistan at the time of independence was beset with multifarious problems, and since 1947 System of Education in Pakistan is suffering from various confusions. Various political, economic and public factors are involved in making and implementing the policies regarding the education system. The topic will definitely add something to the information regarding System of Education in Pakistan. English language and class discrimination is the major problem which is also a big hurdle in the improvement of education system. English is the official language, being widely used within the government, by the civil service and the officer ranks of the military. Pakistans Constitution and laws are written in English. Many schools, and nearly all colleges and universities, use English as the medium of instruction. Therefore, unsurprisingly, English is considered by donor agencies as the de facto language for development in developing countries. Often a lot of aid money is spent on improving the English proficiency of people and communities in the recipient nation states before or alongside other development work, particularly in the field of education. The aim, ostensibly, is to improve the effectiveness of teaching and therefore the overall quality of education in non-native English speaker contexts. (Fauzia Shamim). Fu (1987) described `English is the passport, it is the prestige, it is the profession and parents wants their children to get on the boat and to stay there.' (1987:29) His comment exactly reflects people's attitude towards English. In addition, Phillipson (1992) claimed that English performed a crucial role in periphery-English countries. He argued that English bore a social stratification function. A good proficiency in English was a necessity for upward mobility and privileged position in a society. (Kam Kwok Fei, Iris, The Choice of Medium of Instruction in HK Secondary Schools) The emblematic status of English, due to its historical association with the elite and proto-elite (Haque 1983, Rahman 1998, 2002), has helped in making it a prestigious language. English is the language of power in comparison with Urdu, the national language, and other regional languages of Pakistan (Rassool and Mansoor 2009). (Fauzia Shamim) The black sheep run the country. The first bag is English, to serve the masters, to gain favors and to be worn on ones sleeve always, announcing your social class. The second is Urdu, kept as a language of sensational journalism, popular entertainment and to send out meta-messages

to the populace at large. Populace is the dame that has to be kept tamed and used for political gains or acquiring the so-called moral legitimacy for the powers that be, elected or unelected. The third bag is the array of the various mother tongues of Pakistan, the little boy with a very limited share in power and who virtually lives down the lane. (Harris Khalique, The Urdu English relationship). The absence of a clear cut language policy in Pakistan and the adherence to English as the official language, the language required for a decent job and livelihood, for a better education, social prestige and for academic discourse, has marginalized the majority of Pakistanis. No serious step was ever taken nor was a resource allocation ever made to teach quality English to everyone. It is recommended that the Department of Education in Pakistan seriously consider designing English as a Second Language courses with specific curricular objectives, paying close attention to the proficiency levels of the students; training teachers to ensure that they are well equipped for understanding the complicated process of second language acquisition and for teaching the English language to the Pakistanis (Jilani Warsi, 2004, Condition under which English is taught in PK). In certain provinces local languages are also used as a medium of instruction in public schools at the primary, pre secondary and secondary levels. On the other hand, private schools predominantly use English as a medium of instruction and are generally considered as more quality oriented in terms of pedagogy, textbooks, and physical infrastructure. At higher educational levels i.e. graduation, post-graduation and professional education, the system is more or less uniform and the curriculum mostly taught in English. The problems of teaching English are rooted in the overall policy of determining the place and scope of English in our system of Education. The teacher at his school is burdened with the idea that the teaching of English is a long term plan and that there is no need to be in hurry about it. So, the foundations are never properly laid. As a result students unable to cope with English. English suffers further neglect at the Intermediate level where the student is already too busy in doing his major subjects. At degree level, students are too old to be taught English primers. Table of tenses and the practice of writing on four lines exercise book are all problem which becomes only obvious at the degree level. In private institutions the cause is different. When English as a foreign language is taught to children at a primary and early secondary levels of education. It is generally taught with a general educational aim in mind that is, it is regarded as a good thing for them to learn a foreign language as a part of a broad education.

The layman is made to believe that we cannot exist without it. The educationists tell us that we need it only as a stop-gap arrangement. Regarding the medium on instruction, National educational policy of 1979 states: 1. The national language of Pakistan is Urdu and arrangements should be made for its being used for official and other purposes within 15 years from the commencing day. One wonders if the commencing day has dawned or are we still waiting for it. Almost a decade of the stipulated interim period since the promulgation of the constitutions has already gone but there has been practically no progress in the policy of switching over the National Language. It is crystal clear that English is the need of the era, which cannot be denied. The education policy then gives the program: a. English will be taught as a compulsory second language from class 6 onward in all the schools The fundamental of our education is that a good knowledge of English is absolutely necessary for us. Good English means good education, while a man with poor English is considered uneducated. English from class 6 onward must be viewed in the context of about 80% illiteracy in the country. It will be ridiculous to have 80% of the population absolutely illiterate and insist on the remaining 20% attaining not only literacy but also proficiency in an alien tongue. The often repeated argument is that English is an International language. But how many need it and have international interests? English is inevitable as the medium of instruction of higher education. But, then, how many pursue higher education or undertake research. (Mrs. Nasreen Zahra, et.al.275) All these are questions that are required to be answered through this research and will give a clear path to walk on for adopting English with all interests.

Statement of the problem:

My research question is: What are the issues and perspectives of Teachers and Teacher education about English as a medium of instruction at elementary level and what the solutions are?

Objectives:
The objectives of the research are: To determine the place and scope of English in education system of Pakistan.

Building up nations satisfaction through conscious use of English as part of educational process. Ensuring active participation of teachers, students and representatives of parents and the community in educational affairs. Significance of the study: The research will be beneficial for the whole education system to bring about the changes, keeping in view the importance of English. To stakeholders: English is a matter of utility now a days. Stakeholders can use economic powers, keeping in mind the status of English. To Teachers: Teachers can realize the importance of English and can improve their language skills, meeting the need of society. To teachers educators The syllabus of English can be arranged as to keep up the interests of teachers and training can be given accordingly. Students After realizing the need and necessity of English, Students will learn it eagerly. Parents Parents can take decisions regarding their childrens future more actively, easily and confidently. Policy maker Government and political parties come and go, but the nation stays and its need do not change as quickly as the centers of power in the country. So policy makers can make such policies that can stay stable.