Why Most Students Study English for 10 Years but Still Can’t Speak – The Real Reason
“Every student knows the words — but fear stops the voice from coming out.”
For ten long years, a child sits in an English classroom.
Ten years of textbooks.
Ten years of grammar rules.
Ten years of exams.
And yet, when that child grows up and is asked a simple question—
“Can you introduce yourself in English?”
Silence.
Eyes go down.
Hands shake.
The heart beats faster.
Words disappear.
This is not a rare story.
This is the story of millions of students.
They studied English for a decade, but they still cannot speak it.
Why?
Is the student weak?
Is English too difficult?
Is the child lazy?
No.
The real reason is something we rarely talk about.
The Painful Truth Nobody Admits
English is the most taught subject in our schools.
Yet, it is also the most feared.
Students can write answers.
They can underline nouns.
They can identify tenses.
But they cannot speak.
Why?
Because English is taught like a subject, not like a language.
A language is meant to be used, not memorized.
But in classrooms, English becomes:
A question paper
A red pen
A marks sheet
A fear
Not a voice.
A Classroom Scene You Have Seen Before
Let me take you into a real classroom.
The teacher asks,
“Who will speak about your favourite festival?”
The class goes quiet.
Some students look at the window.
Some pretend to read the book.
Some lower their heads.
The teacher points to one student.
The child stands up.
“I… I… My favourite festival is… umm…”
The class laughs.
The child stops.
The teacher says,
“Sit down.”
That child never raises their hand again.
That is how confidence dies.
Not because the child is weak.
But because English was made a test, not a tool.
10 Years of Learning – What Really Happens
Let us be honest.
From Class 1 to Class 10:
Students memorize essays
They copy answers
They practice grammar exercises
They cram definitions
But they are never trained to speak freely.
Speaking English is treated like:
A talent
A gift
Something only “smart students” can do
This belief is wrong.
Speaking English is a skill.
And every skill needs practice, not pressure.
The Fear That Grows Silently
Most students don’t hate English.
They hate the fear around it.
Fear of:
Making mistakes
Being laughed at
Being corrected harshly
Being judged
So they choose silence.
They think,
“If I don’t speak, I won’t be wrong.”
Slowly, silence becomes a habit.
And habits become identity.
“I am poor in English.”
“I can’t speak English.”
“English is not for me.”
But the truth is—
English was never taught with kindness.
Where Parents Also Go Wrong
Parents want the best for their children.
But unknowingly, they add pressure.
“Why can’t you speak English?”
“Look at that child, he speaks so well.”
“You are studying in an English-medium school!”
These sentences hurt more than they help.
Children don’t need comparison.
They need encouragement.
English does not grow in fear.
It grows in freedom.
Marks Went Up, Confidence Went Down
This is another painful reality.
Some students score:
80 marks
90 marks
Even 95 marks in English
But they cannot speak.
Because marks measure memory, not ability.
A child may know grammar rules,
but still freeze while speaking.
That does not mean the child failed.
It means the system failed the child.
English Was Never the Enemy
Let us say this clearly:
English is not difficult.
English is not dangerous.
English is not only for city students.
English becomes difficult when:
It is taught without emotion
It is corrected without care
It is judged instead of practiced
Children learn their mother tongue without grammar books.
Why?
Because:
They hear it daily
They use it daily
Nobody laughs at their mistakes
That is how languages are learned.
What Successful English Learners Do Differently
Students who speak English well do three simple things:
They speak, even when they are wrong
They are not afraid of mistakes
They practice small sentences daily
They don’t wait to be perfect.
They speak:
Broken English
Simple English
Wrong English
And slowly, it becomes better.
Confidence comes before correctness, not after.
The Role of a Teacher – More Powerful Than Grammar
A teacher can either:
Build a voice
Or break it
One gentle sentence can change a child’s life.
“Try again.”
“You are improving.”
“It’s okay to make mistakes.”
These words heal fear.
Teachers must remember:
A child will forget grammar rules,
but never forget how a teacher made them feel.
English Needs a New Approach
If we truly want students to speak English, we must change how we teach.
English should be:
Spoken daily in class
Used in small conversations
Practiced through real-life situations
Not just:
Written in notebooks
Memorized for exams
A child should feel:
“English is my friend, not my enemy.”
A Small Change That Creates Big Results
Imagine this classroom:
Every day, the teacher spends 5 minutes on speaking.
No correction.
No laughter.
No pressure.
Just simple sentences:
“How are you today?”
“What did you eat?”
“What makes you happy?”
Slowly, students start speaking.
Not perfectly.
But confidently.
That confidence changes everything.
A True Story from the Classroom
There was a boy who never spoke English.
He was silent, shy, invisible.
One day, the teacher said,
“Speak anything. Even one sentence.”
The boy said,
“I like school.”
The class clapped.
That day, something changed.
Today, that boy speaks confidently.
Not because he learned grammar.
But because he felt safe.
The Real Reason Students Can’t Speak English
So what is the real reason?
It is not intelligence.
It is not background.
It is not English itself.
The real reason is:
English was taught with fear instead of freedom.
Change that—and everything changes.
What We Must Remember
Mistakes are part of learning
Silence kills confidence
Practice builds power
English is a skill, not a subject
If we teach English with purpose, not pressure,
students will not just pass exams—
They will find their voice.
A Message to Students
You are not weak.
You are not incapable.
You are not late.
Start speaking today.
One sentence.
One mistake.
One step.
That is enough.
A Message to Parents and Teachers
Please remember:
You are not teaching English.
You are shaping confidence.
Be kind.
Be patient.
Be human.
Because English learned with fear fades.
But English learned with love lasts forever.
Final Thought
Ten years of English can either create silence…
or a strong voice.
The choice is not with the child.
It is with us.
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