What is a primary objective of including English language in the curriculum at…

A subject earns its place in a school curriculum from the aim it is meant to serve at that stage of schooling. For a language, that aim is proficiency in use: language is a tool for making and sharing meaning, so a language curriculum is built around the four use-skills — listening, speaking, reading and writing — and formal study of the language grows out of that use rather than coming before it.

The primary level is the learner's first sustained contact with English, so the aim set for it is the one that produces usable proficiency: developing basic communication skills — following simple spoken English, speaking in short everyday exchanges, reading simple text and writing simple sentences. NCERT's Learning Outcomes for the primary stage state this expectation as basic proficiency for meaningful communication.

• Translating complex philosophical texts assumes command of abstract vocabulary and of register in two developed languages, an ability built long after first proficiency.

• Mastering advanced literature analysis assumes the reader can already handle extended texts and argue about theme and technique, which is the work of later literary study.

• Focusing only on grammar drills makes rule accuracy the whole aim; at this stage grammar is absorbed through use, and drills on their own leave the learner unable to use the language for any purpose.

The primary objective of including English at the primary level is therefore developing basic communication skills.