The schools under West Bengal Board of Secondary Education offering English as t first language are potential scapegoats in every year's Madhyamik Examnination. They are completely unknown entities who face the toughest questions on the age old Victorian novel Silas Marner by George Eliot. The board has never felt it necessary to update the syllabus or to the change the curriculum. From time immemorial the first language syllabus has remained the same. No contemporizing has ever taken place in the syllabus of Madhyamik First Language English. And it is even harder to make people believe that something called "first Language English" exists in West Bengal Board .There is a huge disparity in the marking system. The students writing second language English get marks as high as 90% where as the first language candidates struggle to manage a 70%. This is a disgrace in today’s competitive world. Students of West Bengal board are severely weak in their English and those who take up the "brave" job of sticking to the First language English are whipped for the "sin". I do pray to all our great political 'lords' to pay heed to this matter. Instead of digging up roads they should bury their Ancient Fossilised ideas and think afresh about some serious transformation in the way English is treated in the state. Its time to realise that no matter how dear our 'matribhasha' is to us, the world communicates in English. I SERIOUSLY "hope" the 'feudal lords' in our Government would hear our cry and save First Language English from perishing!
(Published in Telegraph Young Metro)
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