Beyond Syllabus Reform

Abstract

It is suggested that ongoing efforts at syllabus reform in English as a foreign language teaching are doomed to failure unless they take into account the current nature of English teaching & make significant & even radical efforts to introduce new concepts into the classroom. Significant changes in the nature of English-language teaching in India that have occurred since the 1950s are reviewed. It is suggested that current assumptions that students will reach the university level with a good grasp of the English language are unfounded & possibly unrealistic. University instructional programs must deal with the reality of student ability levels & aim toward providing students with the language skills they need. B. Annesser Murray.