Language Policy Planning and Practice
is a collection of papers presented in an
international conference organized by the
Centre for English of the Aga Khan
University in February 2001. Besides a
representation from the UK, most
participants in this conference were from
South Asian countries. The book deals with a
subject that has for long been a victim of
negligence and compromise in Pakistan.
Language policy has been a thorny issue and
has eluded resolution so far, with no
well-articulated policy having been adopted
on it.
Language policy planning is meant to provide
a direction for educators and planners. In
the absence of such a policy, we are still
groping around to decide the language we
want to use in our educational institutions.
Consequently, we are trying to reach the
elusive.
The book blows the whistle on a sensitive
issue which has remained on the back burner
for a long time. There are three main areas
in this sector that must be addressed
namely, language policy, practice and
teaching. The language policy can play an
integrating and stabilizing role in a
pluralist society. By focusing on this
issue, this book has placed the language
question right at the heart of national
priorities and stressed its urgency and
significance. The book contains excellent
articles by delegates who attended the
conference. It provides a broader
perspective on the issue and the reader gets
an insight into the language policy planning
issues which are faced by other states in
the region which have multicultural and
multilingual societies like ours. This
should provide new ideas to language policy
planners and implementers.
Many lessons can be drawn from similar
situations to provide guiding principles in
formulating a clear and unequivocal approach
on an issue we have been sleeping upon for
long. For instance, Zubeda Jalal Khan,
Federal Minister for Education, clearly
enunciates the government's policy on Urdu,
our national language, and the future of
English in Pakistan. Shahid Kaleem Siddique
emphasizes that there is undue stress on the
tangibles of teaching which distracts the
attention of most teachers from intangibles
such as the rationale behind our actions. In
short, the teacher himself/herself needs to
be educated.
Yet another important feature of this book
is its emphasis on the need for updating and
modernizing the art of language teaching.
The onslaught of Information Technology (IT)
has had an impact on all spheres of life.
Education is no exception. Therefore, the
need to incorporate the element of IT into
language teaching is compelling. The book
explores various means and ways of achieving
this objective.
Tariq Rahman looks at the multi-tiered
education system prevailing in Pakistan and
examines the status and role of English in
Pakistan. Talking of the dismal situation of
education in Pakistan, Sabiha Mansoor
identifies the factors responsible for this
failure. The canvas of the book is, in fact,
very broad. There is something for everyone
on the menu ranging from language policies,
classroom techniques, teaching tools and
evaluation of the ELT provision.
The article by Naz Rasool focuses on how the
modern technological developments have
impacted on communication skills. The new
paradigm calls for the cultivation of
different skills for the gathering and
interpretation of data, obtaining and using
the information as well as planning. The
definition of communication competence
therefore has to be redefined.
The perspectives from other countries like
India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and South
Asia as a whole also shed light on language
situations in the other countries of the
region. All of these countries, including
Pakistan, have a common imperialistic legacy
of English. The papers investigate how these
countries have coped with the problem of
language policy formulation. Their
experiences of traversing through complex
situations are valuable lessons in policy
planning.
A pioneering work, the book should stimulate
interest and debate on the issues of
language policy planning and practice. It is
hoped that this intellectual discussion will
promote a consensus among various
stakeholders.
The book is essential reading for those
involved in the making and implementation of
language policy. Carrying a good database
for researchers, it is a handy reference
book for linguists and teachers of the
English language. Its value lies in the fact
that it brings together interrelated topics,
which can provide food for thought for those
interested in the question. |
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