DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCE AMONG THE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN ENGINEERING STREAM

ENGINEERING

The process of liberalization in higher and technical education began in 1980’s. It gathered momentum in 1990’s in the era of globalization, owing to the worldwide demand for technically qualified manpower. The number of Indian technocrats going abroad for higher education and career development increased manifold. Those seeking admission in the foreign western universities had to clear qualifying text in technical area beside competence in English language. Those students seeking employment in the domestic market was required to undergo placement and campus interview for selection. Most students from the mofussil areas, appearing for IELTS and TOEFL for seeking admission in the Anglo-American universities and appearing for campus interviews found the going tough. This was attributed not to the lack of technical competence but to the law self-esteem and lack of self-confidence. The low self-esteem, also described as inferiority complex, was due to the lack of competence in English language and difficulty in communication. The lack of fluency in communication, in most cases, was due to the mofussil family background, schooling in vernacular medium and not much effort put in to acquire competence in English in foreign language for most of us in India.

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