Competency of Teaching English in Indian Context: A Situational Analysis

Teachers and educationists today are struggling to innovate and develop new methods as well as techniques of teaching English that can optimize and achieve the teaching and learning objectives. Secondary English language learners especially face major difficulties in acquiring proficiency in using the English language. The modern trend in education and the complex nature in teaching and learning have made the role of the teacher more challenging. This new role does not only involve the mere transmission of knowledge to the students but it also involves looking at the problems associated with learning and instruction in English. Secondary Education is a vital stage where education is given to the children of age group 14 to 16 years. In the Secondary level, the basic aim of teaching English language is to enable the students to develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing English language. Teachers all over the country are not clear about the aim of teaching English. While the demand of improving the proficiency of the language increases on one hand, the competency and capacity building of the English teachers also needs a complete rev on the other. Problems regarding the teaching method have also been discussed from time to time by different Commissions. But in most Indian schools the suggestions have not been implemented in a true manner. This work is an attempt to throw light on the English teaching methods in order to develop the teaching strategies and competencies of English teachers in the Secondary level.