Impact of English Proficiency of Sri Lankan Pre-school Teachers on the Employability in Overseas Countries Dr. D.N. Aloysius Senior Lecturer (Retired) Visiting Lecturer (Postgraduate Diploma in Education Unit) Rajarata University of Sri Lanka Mihintale Email: aloysiusrjt@gmail.com

 Introduction

At present, there are about 18,800 pre-schools in Sri Lanka and it is a serious matter that most of the pre-school teachers are not diploma holders. According to the Minister of Education, only 6,000 out of 34,000 pre-school teachers in Sri Lanka are diploma holders.  First of all, these teachers should have academic and professional qualifications for the employment opportunities in overseas countries. In addition to that, they must also have a sound English knowledge to teach in English medium. It is now apparent that these pre-school teachers are required to meet three main requirements; namely, academic and professional qualifications and competence in the English language. Those who are incompetent in English can be employed in Sri Lanka as preschool teachers whereas those who are competent in English can get job opportunities in overseas countries. Both sources directly or indirectly contribute to the national economy of the country. The objective of the present study is to ascertain whether these teachers are academically and professionally qualified with a sound English knowledge to be employed as pre-school teachers in foreign countries, which brings foreign exchange to Sri Lanka. The sample for the research was taken from the North Central Province (NCP). Both primary and secondary data were used for the research. Qualitative method was also applied to collect information. Results and findings of the study imply that pre-school teachers of the NCP are much weaker in English whereas to some extent, they are academically and professionally qualified respectively it is ……. % and ……%, which is also below the required international standard. It was also found that only ……% of the pre-school teachers are competent in English. Hence, it is suggested that while they should be academically and professionally promoted as pre-school teachers for the national and international job market, they should also follow an instant and effective English course for improving their English knowledge for teaching in English medium in the overseas countries.

Keywords: Pre-school Teachers, Overseas Job Market, Academic and Professional, English