Issues and challenges of teaching communicative English in professional institutions: the case of northern India

Abstract

The present article focuses on the issues and challenges related to teaching and learning Communicative English in Engineering and other professional institutions (tier-2 and tier-3 cities) in the northern belt of India. It attempts to explore various problems faced by the teachers as well as the students. It also examines the ongoing efforts to develop English communication skills of the students. The L1, L2, and L3 scenario has been discussed in detail. Bilingualism and multilingualism are investigated further. It also offers feasible solutions for making English teaching and learning more effective. Though the article only considers the northern belt, it can be applied to other belts too, provided the socioeconomic conditions are similar.