Make Every Government School Teach English for Real Life, Not Just Exams

A Sri Lankan student can study English for years, sit for school examinations, and still feel uncomfortable having a simple conversation, answering a job interview question or writing a professional email.

That is a problem.

English should not be treated only as another subject where students memorize grammar rules, write answers and try to pass an exam.

By the time a student leaves school, they should be able to actually use English in real life.

Teach the English people actually need

English lessons should include situations students are likely to face outside school:

• introducing themselves confidently
• asking and answering questions
• speaking on the phone
• giving directions
• explaining a problem
• participating in a discussion
• writing a simple professional email
• preparing a CV
• handling a job interview
• understanding workplace instructions

Grammar and writing still matter. But they should support communication rather than become the entire purpose of learning English.

UNICEF noted in 2026 that English teaching in many Sri Lankan schools has traditionally depended heavily on textbooks, blackboards, reading, writing and comprehension exercises, with limited opportunity to adapt learning to individual students. Newer programmes are experimenting with more interactive approaches.

Speaking and listening should actually count

Students naturally focus on whatever determines their marks.

If almost all the importance is placed on written examinations, teachers and students will understandably spend most of their time preparing for written examinations.

English assessment should therefore gradually include practical communication.

For example, students could complete short speaking assessments where they introduce themselves, describe something, answer questions or hold a simple conversation.

The goal should not be perfect grammar or a foreign accent.

The goal should be understandable, confident communication.

Sri Lanka’s current general-education reform framework already proposes moving toward more competency-based assessment and preparing students with skills relevant to a changing world. That creates an opportunity to make practical English ability one of those measurable competencies.

Give teachers the support to make this possible

It would be unfair to simply tell English teachers to produce fluent students without giving schools the resources to do it.

Teacher training should include practical methods for teaching speaking and listening, managing conversation activities in large classrooms and using technology effectively.

Schools with shortages of specialist English teachers could also use centrally produced digital lessons, recorded conversations and interactive exercises alongside classroom teaching.

Sri Lanka already has the Ministry of Education’s e-Thaksalawa platform, while UNICEF and the Ministry have also tested digital English-language labs in schools. These existing systems could be expanded rather than creating everything again from zero.

Rural students should not need expensive private classes to compete

This is also an equality issue.

A child in Colombo who attends an English-speaking private school, uses English online and goes to tuition may have opportunities that a talented student in a rural government school simply does not have.

If English remains a major advantage in universities, technology, tourism, international business and many private-sector jobs, access to good English education should not depend mainly on family income or location.

The World Bank’s latest work on Sri Lanka’s labour market says employers increasingly look for communication skills, digital capabilities, adaptability and practical experience, while Sri Lanka continues to face a mismatch between what students learn and what employers need.

Improving practical English will not solve that entire skills gap, but it is an important part of it.

Don’t turn this into “English instead of Sinhala or Tamil”

Sri Lanka does not need to abandon education in Sinhala or Tamil.

Children should be able to learn, think and communicate strongly in their first language.

English should be treated as an additional tool that gives them access to more information, education, technology and employment opportunities.

The objective is not:

“Every Sri Lankan must speak perfect English.”

A much more realistic objective would be:

Every child leaving a Sri Lankan government school should be able to hold a basic English conversation and use English confidently when they need it.

That is something a national education system should be capable of delivering.

If Sri Lanka can provide that ability through government schools, English becomes less of a privilege available to certain families and more of a practical skill available to everyone.