English takes a 'back seat in schools'

Dubai: The traditional way of teaching with an emphasis on Arabic and a teacher-centred classroom, were some of the obstacles to learning English in higher secondary classrooms, said students at the Fifth English Language Teaching in Schools conference.

Held over two days last week at Al Ain Women's College (AAWC) and Fujairah Men's College and attended by students and future teachers, the conference dealt with professional development and training for teachers in English language classrooms in public and private schools.

Students highlighted the issues they have faced in learning English at the school level and how the situation can be improved.

Stress on Arabic

"As high school pupils, we have faced problems with teachers speaking Arabic most of the time, even during English sessions," said Asma Abdul Rahman, an education student at AAWC.

Maha Al Shamsi, from AAWC, added: "Teachers translate English words into Arabic and this makes learning dependent on Arabic."

Lack of proper motivation and treating English lightly were among the other reasons that prevent teaching in English.

According to AAWC students Noor Kamali and Saba Al Massaabi, a lot of students now are not able to understand what the teacher is trying to convey or are afraid to express their opinion because they cannot use the language and fear making mistakes.

"They don't focus on English as the main language, so pupils feel it is not important and take it lightly," said Salamah Al Daheri of AAWC.

As for solutions to the problem, "learning should take place outside the classroom with fun extracurricular activities", said Noor.

Some future teachers plan to emphasise on communication in English both inside and outside the classroom.

In this competitive world, English is becoming a global language, hence, everybody should be encouraged to learn English in the primary school level.
Prashanth
Abu Dhabi,UAE

I told a friend of mine who teaches English not to speak in Arabic when talking to students or else they will not learn.
Sue
Toronto,Canada

English will always be a global language, both on a social and business level. You will need to know the language in order to live and work.
Ahmed
Sharjah,UAE

Maybe integrating more with English speaking expats might help people get used to the language.
From A Reader
Dubai,UAE

I think students need to do some extra reading themselves and use the language outside of school to benefit from any course. They should also stop teaching English as a second language. I would prefer it if teachers at the primary level were native speakers.
Maryam
Dublin,Ireland