English Lessons Alone Won't Boost Employment

In an article on The Conversation, Elizabeth Erling, Lecturer of English Language Teaching, argues that although English language skills in South Asia are highly rewarded in the labour market, they are not always a clear-cut route to better job prospects.

With a joint population of 1.6 billion, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are both the most densely populated geographical region in the world, and one of the poorest, with the largest proportion of unemployed and inactive youth in the developing world.

Increasingly, 'skills development' is being framed as crucial to the development of the knowledge economy, with the need for English language skills particularly prevalent in the discourse. However, in her research into the relationship between English language learning and skills development in the region, carried out at the request of the British Council, Dr Erling found that although people who speak English do, in general, tend to earn more, it is difficult to separate returns to English language skills from returns to quality education as a whole. In addition, returns are affected by variables such as gender, ethnicity and class, which suggests that English language learning on its own will not allow people to overstep other socioeconomic obstacles.

The conclusion to be drawn is that simply delivering more English language education without consideration of such issues, and without embedding education within wider programmes for development, is not likely to lead to economic development either for individuals or for nations.

Read the full article.