LANGUAGE-BASED ACTIVITIES IN THE COMMUNICATIVE ENGLISH CLASSROOM IN THE SELECTED COLLEGES OF MANIPUR

Studies have indicated that there is a mismatch between the skills and knowledge required in the workplace and the skills and knowledge acquired by the graduates. NEP 2020 emphasises the development of skills required for the global workforce, and the skill of effective communication in English is one of the key skills. According to Widdowson (1988), language skills are developed in three ways in reference to medium (aural and visual), mode (receptive and productive) and manner. The young graduates of Manipur have not developed the communication skills in English, which is one of the key parameters of a skilled worker. The reasons for such a situation are the teaching of literature and the related concepts in place of actual language usage, the emphasis on grammar, reading and writing skills, while listening and speaking skills are neglected. Other reasons also include large classroom size, limited time for language class and lack of adequate infrastructure. Recently, under NEP 2020, Manipur University introduced Four Year Undergraduate Course in which AECC (Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course) in Communicative English was introduced as a compulsory course. In this course, the four language skills (LSRW) are included. There is a shift from a text-based syllabus to an activity-based form of language learning. So, the need for a study arises to assess how language-based activities are carried out in the colleges and what challenges the teachers and the students are encountering. The objectives of the paper are to find out the languagebased activities carried out in the AECC- Communicative English classroom, how well the syllabus aligns with the needs of the students, how frequently the four language skills are taught, the outcomes of the course and the challenges in the teaching and learning of the communication skills. The study seeks to come up with a viable method of teaching English communication skills at the advanced level, taking into account the limitations and challenges in the language classroom.