English Teaching in Rural Areas: A Challenge or an Opportunity?

After teaching for about 15 years in different English medium schools in Kathmandu, I was appointed as a secondary-level English teacher in a remote village in Rasuwa a few years ago. The school is at the top of the hill. The greenery of nature, fresh air and water, and the sound of the flowing river below the hill have added beauty to the environment at this place. There is a Tamang community around the school. Few primary and lower secondary schools are there at distance. This is the only secondary school in this area so students from those primary and lower secondary schools come here for secondary level education. Some students walk for about 2 to 3 hours daily to reach the school and some of them stay in rented rooms near the school. The number of students is about six hundred and the number of teaching staff is twenty-one in this school. I’m unsure if this number of teachers is adequate for the student-teacher ratio, but the classes are going well.

Let’s now address the major concern. It has already been mentioned that there is a Tamang community nearby the school. So, the students are also from the same community. They have their own culture, tradition, norms, values, and language. They speak their mother tongue. They prefer to communicate in their mother tongue at home, community, and even at school. It is not a bad thing to speak in their mother tongue. I have also been telling them to preserve their culture, norms, values, and language while teaching. So, if they do not speak their language then how is their language preserved? Isn’t it? Here, what I mean is that the Tamang language is their first language. They occasionally speak Nepali because they are Nepalese citizens; yet, their Nepali language is not grammatically proper. Nepali is their second language. Now, they also have to study another language in school i.e. the English language and it is the bugaboo for them. They fear studying English, feel shy to speak in English, and can’t even start a word while writing. This language, English, is their third language.

How should the English language teacher handle this circumstance? Is it a challenge or an opportunity to show your skill? I’m not sure how you take and think about the situation, but I saw it as an opportunity to demonstrate my abilities, to test and evaluate whether I am capable of handling and improving this situation. I thought about what can be done in such a situation. One day I asked some of the students, “In which language do you think?” The answer was obvious and they said, “We think in our own Tamang language.” I again asked, “What’s about the Nepali language?” They said, “We sometimes use the Nepali language if there are no words in Tamang Language and we use Nepali to understand the unavailable pattern of our language.” I asked the last question, “What’s about the English language, then?” They had no clear answer to this question. They were confused. So, I quickly realized that English is a problem for them; it is a bugaboo for them.

I immediately began my first task, which was to persuade them that English is not a bugaboo. “There is nothing to be shy and to be afraid of while learning the English language. It is just a language like your Tamang language and language is just a way of communication. Language enables a second person to comprehend anything you are trying to say. So, we must try to use language in a way we know. But, it doesn’t mean that language should not be used correctly. We have to use the language correctly in proper sentence structure. We must be careful about the grammatical functions as well. It proves your competency in the language. But, these are the secondary things for you now; you have to start from the first step if you want to reach your destination. If we start learning continuously and apply it in practical life it will help for the automatic progress.” I explained to them.

I even added, “Your elder brothers, sisters, or any other relatives might have gone abroad for study or employment. They have, of course, learned Japanese, Korean, Chinese, or any other language in a short period. They have attended the language tests and become successful. Now, think once, they had not studied those languages at the school level. How could they succeed in such language tests? The answer to this question is not so difficult. Interest and ambition they had were the first and foremost factors in their success. Second, passing the language test might be a requirement for them in any case. In this case, curiosity motivates us to learn the language while necessity drives us to work hard and persevere until we are proficient in the target language. The easy thing for you is that you have got a chance to learn the English language from the school level and you have a longer time to study. So, why don’t you try your best in this language?” After that, I saw little sparkles on the face of students. In this way, in the beginning, I was able to convince them that English is not a bugaboo.

I began implementing my work plan following the students’ grade levels. At first, I advised them to purchase a dictionary: either a bilingual or a monolingual English dictionary. They had the option, though. They bought it. Then, we were able to look up the definitions and meanings of challenging textbook words as well as word classes like nouns, verbs, prepositions, adjectives, etc. in the dictionary whenever necessary. We began our adventure with a word. We used to look up words’ definitions and meanings and even try to pronounce words using the phonetic sounds listed in the dictionary; this was incredibly entertaining and interesting to us. It worked well.

Another problem with the students was that they were unable to even begin their answers to composition-type questions. “It’s free writing, so write whatever you want, and before you write, you have to think,” I told them. “You’ve already instructed us to think in our native language,” they said. I answered, “It’s fine to do so, but you must mentally translate your thoughts into English. Think a sentence first and after that another and another and try to write according to the given subject matter, but if you can’t write exactly about the given matter then write whatever comes to your mind.” Certainly, they think in their language and try to write in English. If English had been their mother tongue, they could have thought in English, and it would be easy for them to write in English. I was conscious that it was their beginning phase of free writing so they were given the freedom to write anything that came to their mind even outside of the given subject matter. It would make them fearless and grow little confidence in them. They could write whatever they would think.

Later on, we made a rule to communicate in the English language in English class and implemented it strictly. It helped to erase the hesitation, shyness, and nervousness of students while speaking in English. They tried to speak the English language with their friends, too.

I searched some textbook-related audio and visual materials on the internet with native English speakers’ voices, which was interesting for the students. They actively participated in the audio and visual classes with full enthusiasm.

Students, now, regard English as a language, much like other common languages, and they are always eager to learn anything new in English.

I know I still have to do a lot for their English language improvement. I have some extra work plans for them and they will be implemented gradually. They will be encouraged to:

Read English newspapers and literary books.
Watch English television channels and listen to the news in English on the radio.
Make notes of new vocabulary.
Listen to British and American songs.
Write something in English every day.
Talk with a native English speaker (if possible).
Translate the mother tongue to the English language.
Learn English idioms and phrasal verbs.
Use the English language in social media (writing texts, chatting with friends)
Solve crossword puzzles in English.
Search for something new in English and discuss it with friends and the teacher in class.

I do not claim to be the best teacher, but I believe that whatever I do to encourage students to improve their English is worthwhile. All of this is based on my personal experience. I know slow and steady wins the race. I foresee that my students will one day triumph in the race of learning English with no doubt or fear. I am always an optimistic and happy person. I am proud to be a teacher.

About the Author

Mr. Suman Pokharel is a secondary-level English teacher in Rasuwa He has been teaching English for more than five years. He has completed his M.A. in English and one year B.Ed. from Tribhuvan University. He taught English in many private schools in Kathmandu valley for more than a decade. He has attended some secondary-level English teacher training. His interest is in experience-based write-ups.

To Cite this Article (APA)

Pokhrel, S. (2022, August 30). English Teaching in Rural Areas: A Challenge or an Opportunity? NELTA ELT Forum. https://neltaeltforum.wordpress.com/2022/08/30/english-teaching-in-rural-areas-a-challenge-or-an-opportunity/