Causes of Students’ Failure in English
English is the language of the modern world. So, everybody realizes the dire need for English. Every year a large number of students at Secondary and Higher Secondary level fails in English. The fact that a huge number of students fail in English is really shocking. It is alarming that the number is increasing day by day. We only blame each other for such a national problem. English is a compulsory subject at all levels of our education. Yet many fail in the public examinations. The overall standard of education is deteriorating. But the standard of English learning is deteriorating very awfully. There are many reasons for it. Certainly, there are many causes of students’ failure in English in our country.
Firstly, the boys and girls from their childhood hold a negative attitude towards learning English. Most of the students in our country are not interested in learning English. Besides, many students have a hostile attitude toward English as a foreign language. They always think that English is a foreign language and there is no need of learning English in Bangladesh. They just want to pass the exams. Then they only memorize some answers and hope to get them common in the exams. Some students are afraid of learning English. Besides, many students consider English a problem, but they do not try to overcome this problem. They think that it is very difficult to learn English. As a result, most of them fail in the exams.
It is also true that there is a shortage of skilled English teachers in Bangladesh. Again, we have not been able to invent the right approach to learning English for our students. Most of the teachers prepare a suggestion and mark some important questions to memorize. The textbooks are not devised and designed or written well. But learning a language is a different thing. Our teachers are not trained enough to set questions properly. To learn a language, a student must learn the meaning and use of a word as well as make a sentence correctly so that she can be capable of writing sentences freely and correctly to express his or her thoughts and ideas from the relevant subject.
Most of the teachers at the secondary level advise the students to commit some answers to their memory and answer the questions on answer scripts from their memory. The existing pattern of setting questions encourages our students to memorize the answers. Very few teachers can be found at Secondary and Higher Secondary levels who make efforts to develop the originality and creativity of the students.
The government as well as the concerned authorities have given more importance to learning English. The teachers of English at Secondary level also follow the same method of teaching as the teachers of other subjects do. This is very suicidal. As a result, the learners of English cannot develop their skills in English. But they do not try to realize that English is a language and teaching of a language is different from other subjects. Moreover, in most of the educational institutions, the facilities are very limited and the environment for learning English is not at all favorable. The students also should use English more and more in communicating with others. In this way, they will be able to develop their skill.
Now it is time to think deeply about this problem. For this we have to design our syllabus suitably. In most of the institutions, English teachers are not so potential, well-versed, well-informed, and well-equipped. We have to introduce an appropriate method of learning English which will help our students feel motivated to learn English and overcome the disgrace of failure in English. So to tide over the situation, the teachers, the students, and the parents should be more active and aware of the matter. Besides, books and syllabuses should partial and language-oriented.
