Communicative Competence and General Studies in English in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

Abstract

It is no more a hidden fact that students admitted into our universities and other tertiary institutions are quite deficient in the use of English. The incidence of examination malpractice is so glaring in our secondary school system that the result from the various examinations conducted in these schools are everything but reliable. For this reason our universities and tertiary institutions have no faith in the certificates these crop of students flaunt. Moreover, the role, status and functions of the English Language in Nigeria as the national language and the lingua franca in a multi-ethnolinguistic society and the role of the English Language as the language of instruction and examination have placed much emphasis on the mastery of the English Language by students. It is this perception of the realities on the part of our universities and tertiary institutions that the General Studies in English courses are introduced as compulsory courses for our students.