Fouzan Al-Riyadh newspaper THE English language has become a key to the world as well as to employment, especially in the private sector. English has also become an important basis for evaluating students during their preparatory year right before they enroll in colleges and universities. It is impossible for a student to be granted admission to an institution of higher education unless he/she proves a certain level of proficiency in the English language. Sometimes the student may overcome the hurdle and sometimes not. In either case, the student wastes several years of precious time. In the private sector, regardless of a graduate's major, a high level of proficiency and capability in English is a must. Hence, the language has become an indispensable one and there is no point of holding any more deliberations whether we need it or not. When we examine the reasons behind the lack of proficiency by our students in English, we find that the problem lies with the way our education system is run. The problem starts with our teachers and can be traced all the way back to the Ministry of Education where the curriculum is formed. At all phases of our school education, students rarely fail in their English language examinations and this creates an illusion that they are capable and have the capacity to reach higher levels of education. This illusion is shattered when they seek enrollment in universities where it is revealed that our high school students did not learn anything substantial and their acquisition of English is very poor. They were simply taught enough to be passed from one grade to the next but possess very little practical language skills. There are of course some who become proficient and well-versed in the language but it is not from any school but through their own capabilities and hard work. We are spending considerable amounts of money on teaching English but where are the results? Students come out of our education system without acquiring any proficiency in the language and this means they are prevented from pursuing higher studies and also results in lost chances to get meaningful employment in the private sector. Our efforts, work and wealth have been wasted at the hands of a system that does not equip our children with the tools they need to thrive in the world. It is possible to address this problem by learning from past mistakes and making sure we do not repeat these mistakes. A balance must be achieved where students learn English as a second language without belittling the significance of the basic language of Arabic. We have to give due prominence to English learning because it is the modern international language that is essential for the advancement of society as well as for the growth of our economy. __
