Coimbatore : A survey by Cambridge English has revealed that nearly 40% of companies in India have reading in English as an important criterion while recruiting an employee.
The deputy director, global network, Cambridge English Language Assessment, Liam Vint says English is considered as a communicative tool. “Many students think that English will help them get a job which is right,” said Vint while he visited the city.
“In India, we understand that that the reading, as a skill, requires more attention, as compared to other countries,” said senior assessment service manager, Cambridge English, Vijayapadma Srinivas. She added, “Reading is important in India because I think a large amount of their work profile requires reading like emails and others.”
Asked about the reason behind the comparatively poor reading skills among Indians, Vijayapadma said, “Our education system tests a child’s memory through by-hearting and does not test the ability to process the information and understand it.”
The Cambridge English team is working on methods to improve English language reading skills among students. “It largely depends on teachers. And, we believe in training our teacher network, and then engaging them in training the students,” said Vint.
Speaking is the second most important English language skill demanded by companies (38.3%), while 14.5% companies feel listening is essential, and 11.7% employers think that writing is the most need English language skill.
With the advent of technology, Cambridge English is also adopting to new learning and teaching techniques. “In the next 10 years, we will have all our examination system on computers. We offer online and computer-based examination services even now, but, a large section of candidates still prefer paper-based examination,” Vint said.
At the same time, Cambridge English has also created a mobile application that trains teachers. “We have forums for teachers, parents and students. Some of our learning services are also available on our website,” said Vijayapadma.
Note: News shared for public awareness with reference from the information provided at online news portals.
