When teachers struggle with English

The state plans to expand the bilingual education framework in government schools alongside introducing a monograde system from the academic year 2026–2027. The move has been widely welcomed by teachers, who see its potential to strengthen conceptual understanding while improving students’ access to English. Yet, teachers will need sustained support to build the proficiency, confidence and fluency required for English-medium teaching. Classroom evidence shows many still struggle with sentence construction, reading comprehension and oral and written communication. This raises a key question: what happens when teachers are not comfortable with the language of instruction?

Language is not merely a subject; it is the medium of learning in English-medium classrooms. Teachers with higher proficiency provide clearer explanations, more accurate input and better classroom interaction. Teaching through a bilingual approach demands both language competence and pedagogical skill; without proficiency, even sound pedagogy is difficult to implement.

The issue is systemic rather than individual. Many teachers come from regional-medium backgrounds with limited exposure to communicative English. Teacher education has often emphasised written exams over speaking and interaction. Short-term training cannot compensate for years of limited exposure, and many teachers experience hesitation or fear while using English. These factors point to the need for sustained support.

When teachers struggle with English, the effects are immediate. They may rely excessively on the mother tongue, avoid explanations in English and limit student exposure. Concepts are often oversimplified, complex texts are skipped and higher-order questioning reduced. Teacher talk tends to dominate, with limited student interaction. 

These patterns affect students directly. Limited exposure to English hampers their ability to form sentences, express themselves and build confidence. When language becomes a barrier, understanding subject content suffers, leading to reduced participation and engagement. Over time, this can have a cumulative effect, affecting students’ academic achievement, progression and future opportunities.

In English-medium government schools, the aim is not to eliminate the use of the mother tongue but to use it strategically while strengthening English proficiency. A bilingual approach allows new knowledge to connect with students’ existing linguistic resources, with the mother tongue serving as a cognitive and linguistic bridge, especially for complex concepts. At the same time, English exposure must be systematic and meaningful, not forced or superficial.

A bilingual approach does not require perfect mastery of English, but demands functional proficiency. Teachers must be able to give instructions, explain ideas in simple English, interact with students and gradually increase the use of English. Without this foundational competence, the goals of bilingual education cannot be effectively realised.

When teachers have limited English proficiency, the bilingual approach risks becoming translation-heavy, where teaching is reduced to verbatim translation rather than concept-building. This often leads to overdependence on the mother tongue and minimal exposure to English, with students getting few opportunities to hear, use or experiment with the language. In such cases, instead of functioning as a scaffold, the classroom remains largely monolingual in practice, which undermines the purpose of adopting English-medium instruction.

Strengthening teachers’ functional English proficiency is therefore essential — not to replace bilingual pedagogy but to make it effective. This requires a sustained, practice-oriented approach rather than short-term interventions. Teachers need continuous opportunities to engage with the language in meaningful ways, with language development embedded in everyday teaching. Schools must create sustained and integrated support systems and foster an English-rich atmosphere while also encouraging the appropriate use of the mother tongue, without placing excessive pressure on teachers to perform flawlessly.

At the policy level, expectations must remain realistic and aligned with the gradual nature of language learning. Teachers should be supported to make incremental progress rather than being judged against immediate standards of fluency. Ultimately, improving teachers’ English proficiency is not merely an individual responsibility but a systemic priority that requires coordinated efforts across training institutions, schools and educational policy frameworks.

With sustained professional development and supportive ecosystems, teachers can gradually build proficiency—and classrooms can become spaces where both language and learning flourish together.

(The writer is a professor and academic head at the Regional Institute of English, South India, Bengaluru)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.