Intellisage

This paper aims to present a historical perspective on the ELT scene in Pakistan, and point out fixtures in the present that augur well for the future. While all is not well with English in Pakistan, it will be shown that the signs of the times hold a promise of hope. It is a good moment in Pakistan’s educational history to re-assess the situation. Here, away from home, we can sense a newness that is denied to us usually be familiarity. We can relate our achievements to a receptive audience. In doing so, what seems unimportant or insignificant because it is done in a very local context acquires value because it is seen as replaceable. We call this a ‘good’ moment because the recent changes in Pakistan have coincided with a groundswell of awareness that has been going on all along. English is needed. English is being badly taught. Something must be done. These three phrases sum up what parents, teachers, ministers, school heads, authors, newspaper reporters, job interviewers, employers, army/navy/air force personnel have been saying all along and wanting to be acknowledged. Their voices rose and the resulting din had to be noticed. It was. And providentially, a new era of relaxation began at about the same time. We shall outline in this paper the contours of this hope.Read More

Adults are not overgrown children. With this obvious – if not banal – statement, I intend to present in this paper some oversights and misperceptions that we as teachers of English to adult learners are guilty of and suggestions to remedy the imbalance and hopefully gain a proper perspective. By “adult” I mean “grown-up,” no longer a child. A university student can hardly be less than seventeen years old: hence, for my purposes the word adult means anyone over seventeen years of age. From the pedagogical point of view, five major differences between adults and children may be isolated, with three attributes of adults that teachers may keep on the forefront of their minds always. As we proceed, let us note the indictment each point presents by implication. Read More

A placement test on the other hand is concerned with suitability. It asks the question: is this candidate suitable for an avowed purpose such as following a course of post-graduate studies in an American University? It is obvious that those who administer this test do not have any business teaching the candidates anything … that is, they are free to set their questions from a vast array of material which might be called “knowledge of the world”. They are certainly not tied to any fixed syllabus, nor to any time frame … a person may appear in the tests as many times as needed .. in fact more is good for business.Read More

Let me at the outset say that the trends in the Aviation Industry we are seeing are moving in the direction of a greater use and, shall I say, dominion of the English language in our part of the world. On a visit in the rural part of Sindh in Pakistan, I was surprised to roadside shack which catered tea and drinks with a huge Dish Antenna on its roof. The hotel owner regretted he had no cold drinks, and added: “Sir, I sold the freezer to buy the Dish!” One may not agree with the choice, but the dominion of the Language seems to be firmly in place.Read More

Let me begin straightaway with some qualifying statements. Any discussion about the place of English in our system swiftly gives way to what I call an endless morass of non-issues. People who should know better say inane things about the errors in textbooks, the cheating in exams, the ignorance of the teachers at the highest levels, the unchanging curriculum, etc. etc. Of all the above only the point about teachers is well taken. All the other aspects important though they are and urgent as the need to bring reforms in them is, are to my thinking secondary issues as I shall explain below.Read More

Published in DAWN The Review March 13, 1997Read More

I have surveyed the situation of the education scene of our country and come to a strange but obvious solution: let’s not open any more schools. Let us vow to use those that already exist to the maximum extent possible.Read More

An Interview with Abbas Husain
Published in Tuesday Review May 7-13, 1996 of DawnRead More

When you limit your sight
to the hub of the world
and the house you’re watching
is your own indeed
then the need for too many
gadgets at arms length reduces–
and a little light is all you need.

Written on April 29. 1994Read More

Written on October 1993Read More