Abstract:

Language is the most important mean of communication between men, being the major form of sharing ideas and thoughts. In a globalised and increasingly digitalised world, the importance of the English language is unquestionable. Although is not the language with the most native speakers, it is the most widely spoken common language in the world: 2.5 billion people speak English and it represents the official language of 400 million (EF 2021). It is therefore the most comprehensive international language in use, to an extent that no other can compare to it. The fact that it is a mean of communication between many millions of people has earned it the status of a lingua franca. Melitz (2016) identifies a very diverse set of areas of activity where English is the lingua franca. Palomo (2019, p.555) reinforces the importance of learning English as a foreign language stating that "this learning will influence the development of cognitive and socio-personal functions". Crystal (2003) analyses why English has risen to the status of a global language and justifies its need.

The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of English language proficiency as a common denominator in communication among peoples. This importance assumes a special relevance in the case of Ukraine and its approach to Europe, substantiated by its application to join the European Union (EU). The education system in Ukraine was, until independence in 1991, based almost exclusively on Ukrainian and Russian language teaching. Foreign language teaching, although possible in private and specialised language schools, was practically excluded from the official education system. As a consequence, the vast majority of adult Ukrainians have a low proficiency in the English language. After independence, English was taught in schools, but still without the necessary emphasis. In 2016 an ambitious programme of general reform in education, entitled New Ukrainian School, was launched by the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science. Presented in 2016 and introduced in 2018, it implements a systemic approach to English language learning and teaching. Currently, the teaching of English is compulsory in schools from grade 1 to grade 11 i.e. from age 6 to 17. Although the younger generations already have a better knowledge of the language, proficiency is still below desirable and lower than in all EU member countries.

The applied methodology consists in analysing the statistical correlation between English language proficiency, measured by the English Proficiency Index, and several social and economic indicators. A comparative analysis is also carried out between the level of proficiency achieved by Ukraine and the EU countries, especially Romania and Bulgaria, the last Eastern European countries to join the EU.

In 2020, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development announced that from 2025 foreign language skills will be introduced in the PISA Report and assessed as an optional component. This will allow a comparison of English levels in schools around the world (OECD, 2021).

Also the EU, in the context of its language policy, emphasises the importance of foreign language learning and sees multilingualism as an important element for European competitiveness (EU, 2022).

Keywords:

Proficiency, English language teaching, lingua franca, Ukraine.