What if the child who knows all the grammar rules in the textbook still freezes when asked to introduce herself in an interview? Or the student who scores well in English finds himself struggling to explain an idea, ask a question or disagree with someone in a classroom?

This is the gap education can no longer afford to ignore.For years, English learning was largely about vocabulary, grammar, comprehension and examinations. But the world outside the classroom is asking for something different: Can you communicate?

Can you listen? Can you think on your feet?

Can you explain an idea clearly, work with people who disagree with you and use technology without losing the human connection?According to Amit Baveja, managing director, Burlington English India & Southeast Asia, the shift begins with something deceptively simple: asking questions. Information is no longer difficult to find.

A student can search for an answer in seconds, ask AI to explain it or watch a video on almost any subject. The harder part is deciding whether that information is useful, credible and relevant.“That is where curiosity and critical thinking become important,” says Baveja.

Students need to become comfortable asking why, how and what if, rather than reproducing an answer. It is a change that mirrors the workplace.

The Future of Jobs Report 2025 identifies analytical thinking as the leading core skill among employers, followed by resilience, flexibility and agility, while creative thinking is also high on the list. There is another problem; students often know the answer but are afraid to say it.

Fear of being laughed at, corrected or judged can make classrooms strangely quiet. The confident few keep raising their hands; everyone else learns to stay invisible.

Baveja points to the importance of experiential learning. His organisation’s survey across more than 200 schools, involving over 4,000 educators, found support for interventions including experiential learning and “learning to learn”.The logic is simple.

Confidence does not come from being told that you are capable. It comes from doing something, getting it wrong, receiving feedback and trying again.

That means more debates, presentations, role plays, group projects and problem-solving exercises.And communication is more than speaking well. Can you listen without interrupting?

Can you understand another person’s point of view? Can you disagree without turning the disagreement into a personal battle? “These are skills schools can develop through debates, role plays, group projects, peer feedback and collaborative problem-solving,” says Baveja.The learning does not stop at the school gate.

Family conversations, storytelling, travel, music, observation and discussions about everyday events all help children build the confidence to articulate what they think. English has also begun to move beyond its old association with privilege or academic performance.

It is being viewed as a skill that can open doors.Baveja cites Mercer’s India’s Graduate Skill Index 2025, which found 42.6 per cent of graduates applying for jobs to be overall employable, while highlighting communication, critical thinking and learning agility among the skills employers seek.The point is not that English determines intelligence or employability. It doesn’t.

But being able to communicate in English can affect access to interviews, higher education, mobility and jobs. And that matters particularly beyond the metros.

A technically skilled student in a tier 2 or tier 3 city may know how to solve a problem but struggle to explain it to a customer, understand an instruction or participate in a workplace discussion.The answer, however, is not to replace India’s many languages with English. It is to add English as another tool.

So, what should an English class look like now? Less memorising, more using.

Less fear of mistakes and more opportunities to make them. Less focus on “How much English do you know?” and more on “What can you do with the English you know?”For Baveja, the goal for the next five years is an English education that is competency-based, experiential and contextual, supported by better teacher development, technology and wider access.

Because the future of language learning may not be about producing students who speak perfect English. It may be about producing students who are curious enough to ask, confident enough to speak, thoughtful enough to listen and adaptable enough to keep learning.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends