Background:
In English Next, his seminal report on the present role and future of English in the world, noted linguist David Graddol says, “The role of education is now seen as to provide generic skills.” With lifelong learning now the norm in workplaces, the role of formal education, Graddol thinks, is to help learners “learning how to learn”. He goes on to conclude that “in globalised economies, English seems to have joined this list of basic skills.”
Indian economy’s robust growth in recent years has made headlines across the world. The world’s fastest growing free market democracy has registered double digit growth figures in industry (10.9%) and service (11%) sectors in 2006-7. The high quality and affordability of India’s large human resources are two factors that have contributed to this sustained growth over the last decade.
It is predicted that by 2032, India will be among the three largest economies in the world, nosing ahead of Russia and Brazil, and running neck and neck with China and the US. In this, India’s greatest advantage will be its young population: by 2010 India will have added 71 million people to its working age population (age 15-64 years), the highest growth rate in the world, and by 2050 India will be home to the world’s largest working age population.
Fuelling this enormous growth in employment - by providing quality education to the largest numbers, eradicating social and economic barriers – poses a huge challenge for policy makers. There are indications that the industry and service sector are already staring at a crisis of quality manpower.
A practical, employable skills set is what employers are looking for in potential employees and the present picture has already started to look bleak. For instance, speaking in the context of IT and IT enabled services, Kiran Karnik, President of NASSCOM said, “As of today, only 25 percent of technical graduates and 10-15 percent of general college graduates are suitable for immediate employment.”
In Sri Lanka the scenario is not very different on the education front. A recent report said, “Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Education says more than 60 per cent of the teachers in Sri Lanka lack computer and English literacy skills that are needed in a modern teaching environment” (Source: Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka, Jan 03, 2007, LBO). National ‘O’ level pass rate in English in Sri Lanka in 2003 was only 30%.
It is evident that employable, globally mobile skills can make a big difference in income generation and wealth distribution. Good English language skills can, in the long run, contribute to sustainable livelihoods across India and Sri Lanka.
Last year the British Council conducted an in-depth study of the education and employment sector in the area of English language and communications skills in India and Sri Lanka. The findings indicated an urgent need for educators and employers to talk to each other in a meaningful and practical way. Set in this larger context, the importance English language in the education system assumes pivotal importance. Several questions stare Indian education sector in the face, and the language question is at the heart of it all.
This dialogue – the first of its kind involving India, Sri Lanka and the UK – will attempt to provide some answers to potent questions that have wide-ranging economic and social significance for all three countries.
While lending a helping hand to the push for educational reform in all three countries, the dialogue, which will have a highly interactive and participatory format, aims to identify common areas of concern and work out collective solutions. The dialogue will also present the delegates and speakers the opportunity to network with peers and find out ways in which British Council can play the catalyst role in change.
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