INSIGHTS INTO INCOMPATIBILITY BETWEEN ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCY AND

INSIGHTS INTO INCOMPATIBILITY BETWEEN ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCY AND POLICY Huma Zia Sehar Saeed Saba Saeed Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) 10 th to 15 th March, 2014 PARTICIPATION AT CIES SUPPORTED BY: OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION (OSF) www. aserpakistan. org

Introduction & Background In Pakistan, English as a language of instruction continues to be overplayed in the absence of a conclusive language policy and a colonial legacy. National Education Policy (NEP, 2009) endorsed English as a language of instruction from class 1 to 12 in general and from class 6 upwards in particular as a language for teaching mathematics and science In 2009 Govt. of Punjab announced English as the medium of instruction across all public sector schools (grades 1 -10) www. aserpakistan. org

Objectives of the Paper PEELI 2013 To provide an in-depth exploration of the teachers' preparation to use English Language in classrooms through will contribute in formulating policy for benchmarking and strategic planning by policy-makers, academics, teachers and implementers. www. aserpakistan. org ASER 2013

Methodology Review of Existing Literature Research Based Quantitative Evidence Mixed-method approach www. aserpakistan. org • NEP 2009 • Punjab Sector Plan • PEELI 2013 • ASER 2013 • Teachers’ professional contexts • Attitudes towards English as the medium of instruction

Data Analysis This section of the paper discusses findings from www. aserpakistan. org Punjab Education and English Language Initiative -2013 Annual Status of Education Report Pakistan -2013

PEELI Research • Took place in March 2013 June 2013 • 18 districts of Punjab The Study www. aserpakistan. org The Survey • Covered 2008 teachers • 1564 public and 444 private school teachers • Gives a detailed & interpretative account of English Language competencies and preparations of teachers The Database

Geographical Spread www. aserpakistan. org

PEELI Objectives Gauging the English language competencies of teachers of Punjab (public & private) through APTIS assessments and basic self-assessment. First-hand information from teachers on their motivational factors and attitudes to English and English medium education. Identifying potential barriers to development of English medium education. Making informed statements about the readiness of the education system in Punjab to take on English medium education. www. aserpakistan. org

Survey Tools 1 2 3 • Baseline Questionnaire • APTIS • Focus Group Discussion (FGD) Results from all three survey tools were aligned with each other to present consolidated findings in terms of teachers’ personal and professional contexts, classroom practices, hurdles and opportunities that exist for teachers in Punjab. www. aserpakistan. org

Realizing Competency Gaps Examining Evidence of English Medium Instruction 54% public teachers 42% private teachers 70% public teachers 80% private teachers M. A/MSc degree holders English language very important for academic success and students’ career www. aserpakistan. org English as the proposed medium of instruction PEELI Baseline Survey 16%-25% Public 30%-35% Private <10% public teachers <10% private teachers Use only. English during their class time Received training in English Teaching Methodology (ETM) Textbooks to be completely 56% public teachers bilingual 52% private teachers 75% public teachers 60% private teachers.

How do you use English in your classroom? Public I use English only in class, all the time I use English as much as possible , but I use the community language when students have particular difficulty I use the community language most of the time and give examples of English sentences occasionally English Maths Science % Teachers I use community language all the time with occasional key vocabulary in English Middle Primary 5 66 3 26 60 Middle 6 Primary 5 Middle 8 Primary 6 www. aserpakistan. org 25 61 46 12 21 29 63 46 3 12 20 20 28 10 20

How do you use English in your classroom? Pvt. I use English only in class, all the time I use English as much as possible , but I use the community language when students have particular difficulty I use the community language most of the time and give examples of English sentences occasionally Maths Science % Teachers English I use community language all the time with occasional key vocabulary in English Middle 6 Primary 11 Middle 11 Primary 8 Middle 5 Primary 6 www. aserpakistan. org 66 24 63 19 60 55 16 20 63 57 4 14 17 17 22 7 14 16

Preferred Medium of Instruction in School PUBLIC Primary Middle 100 80 80 60 5150 40 23 16 20 0 3 2 3 3 Mother tongue Community Language www. aserpakistan. org Urdu Enlish 27 23 % Teachers Primary PRIVATE Middle 60 35 40 26 28 32 34 34 20 Bi or Multilingual approach 0 3 3 Mother tongue Community Language Urdu Enlish Bi or Multilingual approach

APTIS A computer-based test designed by British Concil Scoring • A 0 to B 1 • Lowest to highest Two component s • Grammar & Vocabulary • Speaking Assess Abilities • Speaking • Listening • Writing www. aserpakistan. org

APTIS by School Type Private 3 2 B 1 Aptis Code Public 12 12 A 2 22 A 1 30 62 56 A 0 0 20 40 60 % Teachers 80 100 Both public and private teachers low on speaking, reading and writing English ! A huge Challenge www. aserpakistan. org

APTIS by School Level % Teachers A 0 100 1 9 80 26 60 40 A 1 A 2 B 1 5 22 35 65 20 38 0 Primary Middle level teachers performed better than primary level teachers www. aserpakistan. org

Teacher’s Vioces “National Education Policy (2009) has not been implemented properly. Students who have never studied English are made to study all the subjects in English which is unfair” “What to say of the students, teachers themselves are neither trained nor qualified enough to deliver lessons in English” www. aserpakistan. org

ASER PAKISTAN www. aserpakistan. org

ASER Partners 10, 000 Volunteers – Citizens – Youth ! www. aserpakistan. org

ASER Pakistan 2010 -2015 • • • Citizen led large scale national household survey (3 -16 years). Quality of education in rural and some urban areas (5 -16 years). Seeks to provide evidence on learning and access. Influence National & Provincial policy and actions for Right To Education (RTE) Article 25 -A. Provides information for tracking MDG/EFA trends and targets up to 2015. Influence goal setting for Post-2015 agenda. www. aserpakistan. org

ASER Assessment Tools ASER Assessment tools : 1. LEARNING • Reading (Urdu/Sindhi/Pashto) • Arithmetic • English Assessments are based on Class II level curriculum for English & Urdu/Sindhi/Pashto and Class III level for Arithmetic. 2. HOUSEHOLD SURVEY 3. SCHOOL – GOVERNMENT & PRIVATE www. aserpakistan. org

Scale of the Survey 138 7 25 9 Districts (Rural) 1 36 28 10 13 Districts (Urban*) 22 263, 990 Children | 6, 132 Schools | 4, 382 Villages | 87, 044 Households *Urban: Karachi (East, West, Central, South and Malir), Hyderabad, Sukkur, Quetta, Rahim Yar Khan, Multan, Faisalabad, Lahore, and Peshawar. www. aserpakistan. org

ASER Findings Realizing Learning Gaps Learning levels by school type - English Government Private 100 % Children 80 71 60 40 51 58 70 58 36 20 0 Class 1: Can read at least small letters Class 3: Can read at least words Class 5: Can read at least sentences ASER 2013 reveals that 58% of the public sector class 5 children can read class 2 level sentences www. aserpakistan. org

ASER Findings Realizing Learning Gaps Children who can read English sentences 2011 2012 2013 100 % Children 80 62 60 44 40 25 20 27 73 74 61 45 0 Class 3 Class 4 Class 5 Class 6 62% class 5 children could read sentences (class 2 level) compared to 61% in the previous year www. aserpakistan. org

Key Findings & Analysis Summering • 32% of public school teachers have received training in English Methodology for two weeks • 70% of the public and 80% of the private school teachers regard English language as important for academic success • 60%of the teachers prioritized training in English teaching methodology; and expressed willingness to learn English www. aserpakistan. org Challenges Strengths the Evidence • Need for more practical and pedagogical support in acquiring new teaching techniques and English language skills • Dominant language scaffolds of Punjabi/Seraiki and Urdu, especially in rural areas • Translation method still a prominent classroom practice

Looking Ahead … Some Recommendations Provide existing teachers with regular and frequent opportunities for continued growth in English proficiency. A move towards content area instruction in secondary and tertiary education Review & upgrade National Curriculum 2006 for English as a second language. Recruitment processes sensitive to faculty's age and qualification, profile of primary/elementary school at district/sub-district level. www. aserpakistan. org

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