Bridging Gap Between ‘Language As Taught’ And ‘Language As Used’ Is Our Objective Says Burlington English

New Delhi, December 08: Here is an exclusive interview with Ratnesh Jha, CEO of Burlington Group of Companies, who leads the effort to drive learner impact.  

Talk us through Burlington’s focus areas in India 

Burlington is focused on disrupting the K-12 space in the context of language acquisition in the near term. We are closely working with 300+ progressive schools and helping them to create a digitized learning environment that helps students acquire strong writing and speaking proficiency in English. We are also functioning to augment teacher capacities through a blended program, to further enhance their English language teaching competencies and equip them with the best techniques to drive improved learning outcomes. 

In addition to the K12 space, we aim to boost the employability of young adults by equipping them with language skills crucial for career success. We provide support to students who are planning for overseas opportunities in acing tests such as the TOEFL and IELTS. We also help professionals augment their communication skills for accelerated growth in the workplace through our career success programs. Burlington is poised to disrupt the traditional English language teaching market through the synergy of its cutting-edge patented technologies and time-tested pedagogies in its learning solutions.  

Why, in your view English language teaching an opportunity area, especially in higher education? 

With an average age of 29, India is home to one of the youngest demographics in the world. Our dependent-age population is now smaller than our working-age population. It is estimated that around 85 lakh students passed out of university this year. 

All of this supports the thesis that India is emerging as the skills capital of the world. A large proportion of skilled Indians are now sharing the fruits of their endeavours with the larger world. With the largest English-speaking population outside the US residing in India, it is no surprise that India is destined to become the global supplier of competency in the world. 

To take advantage of this demand, India seeks to grow its Gross enrolment ratio (GER) in Higher Education to 50% by 2035, which will lead to more graduates seeking jobs, both in the country and abroad. Communication is consistently reported to be the most important skill for job readiness. Burlington is keen to prepare this young population for the job market in the context of language learning.  

Why have Indian students been slow in language acquisition? Where are the gaps in the current system? 

India has always had a strong education system that thrived on teacher-driven knowledge delivery and acquisition. In the new world order, especially post Covid, the world is more focused on job skills and the practical application of knowledge. The biggest challenge would be ensuring that classroom education meets the needs of business and globalisation in the outside world. Traditional education has been constrained by the limits of testability and deliverability.  

It is being realised now that the current mechanisms of imparting education lean too much into rote learning and don’t give due emphasis to higher-order skills. A focus on the capacity to think dynamically is largely missing from contemporary classroom learning methods. Especially in the case of language learning, it is imperative to recognise its fundamental role in the development of dynamic thinking capacity, especially for younger children in school. Language is not just a means to convey information but a tool for exploring and understanding the world around us. Bridging this gap between ‘language as taught’ and ‘language as used’ is the objective that drives our research into exceptional language education programs at Burlington. 

Please share your views on the National Education Policy (NEP) and its future impact on employability. 

The NEP is a watershed moment in Indian education with a focus on spurring innovation, critical thinking and 21st-century skills. As India aspires to have a 25% share in the global workforce by 2047, these vital capabilities will help to arm our young demographic for the jobs to come, most of which will emerge in the coming decades. Notably, the NEP focuses a lot on digital technology, which magnifies access and enables learning anywhere and anytime.  

National Education Policy 2020 also envisages the universalization of the credit framework by removing barriers between knowledge, skill, and employability. Our honourable Minister for Education recently said that the “National Credit Framework (NCrF) would provide an opportunity to recognise applied aspects of knowledge and skills. It will also create new possibilities for lifelong learning & skilling. NCrF will boost per capita productivity, empower all and lay a strong foundation for India to lead this century." He emphasised that NCrF will bring a vast majority of our population under the fold of formal education and skilling, achieving GER targets and accelerating India’s march towards becoming a $5 trillion economy. We are confident that this move will position India at precisely the right avenues for taking its place as the skills capital of the new world. 

What role will educators play in meeting Burlington’s longer-term vision in India? 

Educators have a decisive role in the teaching-learning ecosystem, especially as education expands to be holistic at all levels and not limited to written texts. With the evolution of what it means to learn and to teach, education must evolve beyond the coursebook. Research has shown time and again that among school-related factors, teachers matter the most in student achievement across subjects. The upskilling of teachers, therefore, is central to driving the right teaching-learning outcomes, especially in the case of language learning. Assessment, too, must adapt to the new objectives that education in the 21st century seeks to fulfil and shift from the testing of syllabus knowledge to the testing of comprehensive subject grasp and capacity for higher-order thinking. This must be reflected in the way educators structure teaching and subsequent testing. At Burlington, we are focused on driving teacher professional development so that learners learn through knowledge transfer and practical lessons and experiential means. Thus, by empowering and enriching educators, we intend to fulfil our mission of elevating India's teaching paradigm and language capabilities to higher and higher levels.