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English as she is sold UK among most expensive countries in world to study
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English as she is sold THE title of a Portugese phrase book of English is English As She is Spoke, but it may be more relevant to look at English as she is sold in the global marketplace today. Among other enterprises concerned with the ‘trade’ in the English language, there are two international tests of proficiency in English — the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) — which are being administered all over the world. The IELTS in particular is taken by lakhs of students and hopeful immigrants aspiring to study at universities in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, or wishing to migrate to these countries. A certain level of proficiency in these tests is required for admission and for visas. This test was devised by English language testing experts in Britain and the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) as one of their suite of examinations. Internationally, the test is administered by two agencies — the British Council and the Australian IDP. In India particularly, and especially in some parts such as Punjab, the scramble to go abroad to some of the above-mentioned countries has led to a huge increase in the number of people taking this test, the fee for which is upward of Rs 8,000 each time a candidate takes it. The test itself is a standardised proficiency test, which means that unlike exams that are taken at the end of a course, this test aims to assess the general level of proficiency in English of a person at any given time. However, it has given rise to a whole industry of private IELTS coaching institutes and preparatory materials from British, Australian and Indian publishers. All these are being marketed intensively, with many of the institutes working in collusion with private immigration and education consultants for admission to foreign universities. These agencies often give the impression that if candidates can prepare for a few days, they will clear the test. As a large number of people aspire to go to the developed English-speaking countries, while not having access to proficiency in the very language that they need for the purpose, it has led to an exploitative situation in which all the agencies involved stand to make big profits. Most candidates fall prey to the claims of many of the coaching institutes who promise to give them the ability to get the required rating (or band, as it is called in the testing system) in the IELTS test, charging high fees for the coaching. They make the candidates believe that the test is a cakewalk and when the candidates obviously do not succeed, tell them that it may be because of some fault in the system, with the examiners or the test centres, and encourage them to take the test again in a few days. It might be clear to anyone that a candidate who scores low in proficiency in the test cannot be expected to score high in a re-test within a few days as proficiency development takes time, but no one tells them that. The result is that hundreds of candidates, helpless and ill-informed, take the test several times in quick succession, and pay the full fee each time. It can’t be good teaching or testing policy to allow candidates who do not have the required level to take a test again and again within a short period of time. It is like over-prescribing medicines just so the drug companies can make profit. The agencies that own and administer this test are unaware or choose to ignore the misinformation as ‘none of their business’. They continue to encourage their marketing agents to get maximum numbers of candidates to register for the test. Obviously, many agents, consultants and coaching institutes would not have an interest in actually developing the candidates’ proficiency, but more in making the candidates continue in their courses and continue to pay fees to them as well as pay to retake the tests and buy the preparation materials. People who could not afford or did not have access to good schooling in the first place have to pay the price for not knowing English — a price being extracted by those who ‘own’ English as their ‘cultural capital’. These practices are bound to have an impact on the validity of the test itself. A test is not immune to the conditions in which it is administered. A candidate generally requires a band 5 or 6 which refers to average competence in the language (many colleges abroad accept these bands, except for courses in medicine or management). It is possible, with the memorisation of set topics and formulaic expressions to get to this level, though getting beyond this is difficult. Coaching institutes generally manage to drill bits of language — some clichéd idioms, some frequently used words and sentences, and some ways of getting around reading comprehension exercises, etc., — and candidates reach the required band, but does this mean that they have actually achieved proficiency in the use of English in different situations which is what the test aims to measure? The fact is that the marketing drive to compete for larger numbers of test-takers affects the accuracy of the test itself as a measure of language ability. It cannot test what it sets out to test, as the teaching shops, becoming wise to the test format and oft-repeated topics, are able to provide what might be called a legitimised version of bazaar notes to help candidates tackle the test. Many do succeed, but it erodes the test. It now needs radical revision, but the market turnover is too lucrative to allow that. It also shows how a product like an ‘international’ test of English becomes sanctified and accepted, and contributes to shoring up the myth that the world spins around English. True, we need the language for communication in several areas, more importantly in the Indian context. The case is not that we shouldn’t learn it or teach it, but it’s time that we, who also claim to ‘own’ English as one of ‘our’ languages, should invest more in it and build up practices that will enable those people to acquire and use it who are still not able to access it and have to buy it from marketplaces where they are being short-changed. Surely, teachers of English should ask themselves why their students do not manage to speak or write well in English even after many years of being taught the language at school and college? They will see that it is the lack of attention to good syllabi, quality materials and methodologies for skills development in our educational institutions that leaves our young students open to exploitation from within the country and outside. Perhaps then they will understand why they must change some of their set ways of teaching. The writer is a Professor in the
Department of English and Cultural Studies, Panjab University,
Chandigarh. |
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UK among most expensive countries in world to study
THE UK is one of the most expensive countries in the world for studying, a new research has showed. According to a study by HSBC, the average cost for an English student to attend a UK university in 2012-13 stands at £5,586.96, which includes the average tuition fees of £8,894 and living costs of £6,692.95. Only Australia, the US and Canada are more costly for education than Britain, the Daily Express reports. In total, it would cost an English student £15,670.79 to attend a Canadian university in 2012-13, including the price of tuition fees, living costs and flights. For the US the average cost would be £19,609.97 and for Australia it would be £19,986, the study said. According to the paper, the other countries examined — Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden — were all found to be cheaper. “While many people have focused on English-speaking destinations, our research shows that these are among the most expensive places for English students to study,” James Yerkess, HSBC head of foreign exchange said. “With studying costs in Europe falling, the continent should be given serious consideration. Many universities offer courses taught in English and the benefits of speaking another language may add to students’ employability after graduation,” he added. — ANI |
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Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni (Solan) WITH Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh round the corner, a sizeable number of university employees have been deputed to carry out poll duties. This has reduced the number of staff in various departments, with few that are available being overburdened with multifarious responsibilities. Poll duties have become a tug of war between the ministerial employees and the scientists as the former have been deployed as sector officers, while the later have been given duties of merely presiding officers. Terming this as an affront to them, the scientists have represented their case of allotting work as per their status before the Election Commission of India, which has forwarded their plea to the Returning Officer. With no relief in sight, the embittered scientists are reporting for their duties, albeit reluctantly, with a sense of injustice prevailing in their minds. Action plan for sustainable agro-ecosystems A two-day brainstorming session-cum-workshop on “Action Plan for Sustainable Himalayan Agro-ecosystems” was organised on the university campus recently. Speaking at the workshop, Dr K.R. Dhiman, Vice-Chancellor, Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, said the university is in the process of developing an integrated farming system model encompassing a judicious and balanced blending of different farming entrepreneurs for attaining sustainable food security, livelihood opportunities and environmental services. Eventually this model will be replicated in other hilly regions with similar commonalities of economic, social-cultural and ecological settings, he said, adding that integrated farming system approach is the only option for sustaining Himalayan agro-ecosystem. Dr S.D. Kashyap, Dean, said past efforts in the development of agro-forestry in the country need reformulation in the advent of current challenges of climate change, rising soil degradation, water pollution and vulnerable livelihood opportunities. The fall in crop productivity needs to be managed through improved land use systems. Dr S.R. Arya, national member, Quenquential Review Team on Agroforestry, opined that agro-forestry-based land use has the potential of ameliorating rural poverty through the generation of income and employment. Dr J.C. Daggar, Additional Director-General, Natural Resource Management of Indian Council of Agriculture Research, New Delhi, stressed on the formulation of a national policy on agro-forestry on the lines of agricultural and forest policies.
Varsity bags 3 projects The university has managed to bag three prestigious projects worth Rs 20 to 30 lakh each from the University Grants Commission. The projects involve assessment of apple crop in the state and devising measures to enhance the apple yield through innovative techniques and use of modern technology, informed Dr R.C. Sharma, Director, Research. With apple yield declining over the years, horticulturists are expecting the university to devise measures to enhance the yield thus increasing their profitability. The 2,200-crore apple crop is considered to be the biggest contributor to state's gross domestic product, as it comprises almost 87 per cent of the state's total fruit production. |
THE title of a Portugese phrase book of English is English As She is Spoke, but it may be more relevant to look at English as she is sold in the global marketplace today.