Promoting English in Mauritius. That?s Nick Powell?s motto since he arrived in Mauritius but he has recently decided to go a step further. With his newly launched ?English First? business, he intends to increase his target and make sure English is worth its status of official language. With his ten years? experience as an English teacher and three years living in Mauritius, Nick now feels he has ?some knowledge of the gaps existing here? and could help filling them with his experience.

The native speaker?s views over English are not very different from those many linguists have. ?I think the level of written English is actually very high. But the problems come with oral English because people do not feel confident enough to speak the language.? So, the main issue when people want to learn English is to get great exposure to the language ? which is not the case at any level in Mauritius.

?But what is true for adults is all the more true for children. Even though English language is the medium of instruction in schools, English remains too scholar and fails to be active.?

At work level, for instance, Nick Powell is perfectly aware that people keep switching between Creole, French and English ? which is an ?admirable? skill, according to him ? but that can lead to some pronunciation problems, for example. So, in an atmosphere conducive to learning like the one he intends to create in his business English courses, for instance, he hopes to ?use English at least for the time that we are together to achieve accurate and fluent English?.

Courses of Business English actually focus on the language and skills needed to communicate more effectively in the workplace ? including varieties of English, business correspondence, handling telephone calls or participating in meetings - just to mention a few aspects of the courses. Such sessions starting as from 7th May would involve a maximum of 20 participants at Le Saint Georges sHotel and would be held after working hours. But more than merely learning English, Nick hopes these sessions ?become an opportunity for the business community to meet and enable people to exchange and collaborate with one another?.

But Nick does not want to stop there. Beside these specific sessions, he intends to launch in-company English, which are tailor-made courses. The keyword of these courses seems to be adaptability, as the teacher says he can adapt to the requirements and hours of the business. The main objective of the course is to ?develop skills to communicate more effectively in the workplace?.

Nick is convinced that, if people are given the opportunity to speak, then there is no doubt they will do a lot of progress in mastering the oral language. ?At a time when Mauritius is getting involved in the Information and Communication Technologies world and wants to attract more foreign investors, it is essential that the level of English reaches at least the same level as for French.?

But what is true for adults is all the more true for children. Even though English language is the medium of instruction in schools, English remains too scholarly and fails to be active enough. ?Pupils learn the language in a very passive way so they are not comfortable to use it when they get out of school?, he believes. ?Watching feature films as a vehicle to extend topics and tasks in the classroom provides children with the opportunity to learn and practise the language in a fun and engaging manner,? he further explains.

The English language, which has been under-represented for quite a number of years, now seems to be regaining strength with a few initiatives taken to boost the language. Such initiatives should not only said communication but also the economy at large.