A critical evaluation of the shift of emphasis in ELT in India since independence

Abstract

This thesis entitled quotA Critical Evaluation of the Shift of Emphasis in ELT in India since Independencequot attempts a perspective of English Language Teaching in India since Independence. The status of English as a medium of international communication is universally recognised. In a multilingual country like India, English, the legacy of the British rule, played and still is playing a vital role. It acts as a unifying factor, fusing the different regions using different languages into a single united entity. English serves as a library language by opening large vistas of science and technology and as a link language by providing means of national communication. English is assigned the role of a second language as the medium of instruction in schools and colleges, and it acquires the privileged position of an official language as most of the intra-national correspondence takes place through English. Thus, in every aspect of Indian life newlineEnglish plays a major role and has become a vital part of Indian social life. newlineMany methods have been evolved and implemented at different points of time to teach English to the Indian students. The shift of emphasis from time to time, in relation to methods of teaching English has been marked. newlineThe present study is an attempt to analyse the nature of the changes in ELT in India and their effect on the teachers and the taught. newline Many teachers are ignorant of the history of ELT in India and of the current trends in ELT in the country. newlineIn order to create an awareness among teachers of the several theories behind the many approaches in ELT in India and of the methodologies evolving from these approaches, a detailed study has been undertaken in the first three chapters of this thesis.