Challenges Faced by Linguistic Minority Students in West Bengal in Learning English

In the current era of globalisation and technological advancement, English is being adopted as the lingua franca for communication. The present study aims at exploring the challenges faced by the students when learning English as a second language. The sample for the study included high school students attending the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education in the district of Purulia, West Bengal, with particular reference to the schools (n = 30) in the Jungle Mahals. A well-structured questionnaire was used for collecting data from the students (n = 225). Students attending classes V to X were chosen for the study, since this group would finish their secondary school in less than five years and seek admissions to any of the higher educational establishments in the country and abroad. Based on the results of the study, suggestions and recommendations are provided.