English For School Certificate

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32166, 9 December 1969, Page 16

English For School Certificate

From next year English will no longer be a compulsory subject in the school certificate examination. Thus, while employers still find much to be desired in the standard of literacy of many school leavers there will be even less incentive to improve among those for whom school certificate is the highest educational qualification. The Minister of Education says English will still be a compulsory subject within the schools. But in the fifth form there is a tendency for teachers to concentrate on those subjects a pupil will sit in an outside examination and pupils show little interest in subjects which they are “ not sitting in the exams ”, The Minister was correct in not lowering the standard of the examination to accommodate those whose need is to improve their written and oral practical English. But there may still be time to consider introducing two different English papers within the school certificate range. Then those whose weakness is in practical English could take this as a compulsory school certificate subject, while for those whose needs are more academic and literary, including all who intend to go on to the sixth form, the present compulsory English could be retained. The extra burden in teaching and examining should be more than offset in the incentive to all pupils to strive for the greatest proficiency possible for them in what should be the most important basic'subject in the curriculum.