A CASE OF ENGLISH IN PAKISTAN

Out of the wide spectrum of problems related to education in Pakistan, the

language issue persists unabated with a continuous tussle over the medium of
instruction and the national language. Globally, the multifaceted development of
the English language is unmatched. Statistics show that 1.5 billion people were
competent and/or fluent in English in the early 2000s.

Considering this, the official status of English in Pakistan requires serious

modifications. According to Section 251 of the Constitution of Pakistan: 1) The
National language of Pakistan is Urdu; 2) The English language may be used for
official purposes until arrangements are made for its replacement with Urdu; and
3) A Provincial Assembly may by law prescribe measures for the teaching,
promotion and use of a Provincial language in addition to the National language.

Despite English being constitutionally trivialised, Urdu is still not the ‘official’
language nor has it entirely replaced English. This has crippled the country’s
education system, polarising students according to English language capability.
The non-adherence to constitutional rules by private educators has created a
severe backlash for government-run schools. Dr Tariq Rahman writes, “The civil
bureaucracy and the armed forces … invested heavily in creating an English-
medium system of instruction for the elite contrary to the declared policies of
the state of Pakistan”. The private and elite schools’ emphasis on English gives
their students a far greater competency in the language. Consequently, these
students have the edge when it comes to pursuing higher education. Simply, this
English-Urdu clause of the Constitution is nothing short of a severely
discriminatory rule that divides the population into ‘educated’ and ‘uneducated’
masses. Unarguably, proficiency in English is among the outstanding status
symbols in our society.

Students who are poor in conversational and written English are poor teachers if
they choose the profession. With chances of them being hired by an elite/private
school system practically nil, they end up teaching in the very schools of which
they are the product. So continues the lame cycle for dearth of better textbooks
and curricula, teachers poorly versed in the language and/or lack of modern,
teaching methods. The English syllabus at the national or ‘official’ level doggedly
designed as per the Constitution adamantly gives precedence to Urdu. As a result,
bachelor’s degree holders are unable to converse or write an essay in English
demonstrative of a quality education.

Though the standard of English at the master’s level takes a phenomenal leap
ahead, the students who come this far are incompetent at handling the highly
elaborate course of studies in the language at this level. The proof is the
continually declining results of the external candidates taking this exam over the
past few years. In MA English Previous 2010 and 2011, the pass percentages were
2.35 and 1.16, respectively. In MA Final 2010 and 2011, the pass percentages
were 14.28 and 13.33, respectively. This situation reflects poorly on the university
and upon the qualifications of teachers.

Though the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) is doing its job of
formulating policies quite satisfactorily, things start to go awry when it comes to
implementation. There is a missed connection between the constitutionally
defined status of English and the HEC definition. HEC policies regarding English at
the BS/BA and MS/MPhil levels with reference to reading, listening and speaking
skills include: 1) To develop the ability to communicate effectively; 2) To
understand and use English to express ideas and opinions related to students real
life experiences inside and outside the classroom; 3) Write organised academic
texts including examination answers with topics/thesis statements and supporting
details; 4) Write argumentative essays and course assignments

Evidently, none of these goals is being met since the total proportion of the
population that speaks English is determined to be about three to four per cent —
a number startling enough to propel us into making a realistic assessment of
where the state of the English language is really going in the country.