Use of classical Indian dramatic works translated in English from Sanskrit as effective instructional materials for teaching English in difficult circumstances
Sampa Paul
The ‘Education for All’ initiative has provided opportunities for lifelong learning and opened the doors of learning to the poorest and the most disadvantaged sections of the society. As education has become a right, the number of students enrolled in schools across India has increased significantly over the years. The Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 inserted Article 21-A in the Constitution of India to provide free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right in such a manner as the State may, by law, determine. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the consequential legislation envisaged under Article 21-A, means that every child has a right to full time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards. As education has become a right by the RTE Act, 2009, a large number of students whose native language is not English have enrolled in schools across India. Considering the huge number of children learning and teachers teaching in such challenging contexts, there is a need to understand the complexities of the issues involved in the teaching and learning of English in such difficult situations. In such difficult circumstances, Classical Indian dramatic works translated in English from Sanskrit can be used as effective instructional materials for teaching English. This can meet the challenges, possibilities and future directions of English teaching in India. To improve the four skills of English language- reading, writing, speaking and listening, drama is very important. The beginners who are just starting out or the advanced students who want to hone and polish reading comprehension, conversation and writing skills need to live the language , i.e. English language beyond the text books because they are going to use English in real life. This paper describes the benefits of drama translated in English from Sanskrit as a teaching tool that stimulates real life usage.
Sampa Paul. Use of classical Indian dramatic works translated in English from Sanskrit as effective instructional materials for teaching English in difficult circumstances. Int J Sanskrit Res 2024;10(4):225-228.