Language plays a vital role in humans’ life to communicate or deliver any message

across to others and it would be frustrating to deliver thoughts expressively nor to get
engaged in socially involved activities without language (Di Pietro, 1994). It could not be
denied that language is a way of communication and even someone who is mute also
requires a language to communicate. Banu (2009) also mentioned that the main role of
language is to help in communicating one’s need, necessities, emotions, ideas and thoughts
to others. Correspondingly, English has become a language which is widely used language
in the world where, there are more than 350 000 000 native English speakers and more than
400 000 000 speakers of English as a second language or foreign language. (Graddol,
2006). English proficiency is essential globally especially to communicate in the business,
tourism, information technology and other domains. To add on, scholarly discussion also
mentioned the use of English worldwide; English as an international language, English as
a lingua franca, English as a global language, and English as a world language (Seidlhofer,
2004). In addition, English is considered a lingua franca which has a paramount status in
providing the students to encounter the challenges of the competitive survival and growing
globalisation in developing countries which focusses on the social, political and economic
value of English as a global language. (Kachru, Kachru, & Nelson, 2006).
Though there are other vernacular languages in Malaysia, but English language
proficiency, nevertheless, retains prominence due to its significance in the interaction
between multilingual Malaysians with the rest of the world (Malaysian Digest, 2014). As
mentioned earlier, MOE had propagated the importance of English proficiency among
students and teachers in the NEB (2013 - 2025), but the concern on low English proficiency
and literacy attainment among Malaysian learners has been investigated quite extensively
and even with the existing Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) curriculum, where 20% of
students were failing in English subject every year (Bernama,2015).
Besides, it is illustrated that there is always an unsolved problem in terms of urban –
rural gap in English language proficiency among Malaysian students whereby the rate of
failure in English language among school learner is contributed mainly from the rural area
schools (Priya Kulasagaran, 2013). According to the findings on English Proficiency Index
(EFI) 2015, Malaysia had been ranked as having the highest level of English proficiency
out of 13 Asian countries and also in the 11th ranking globally. Conversely, it is apparent
that there is a vast discrepancy in the mastery of English language between urban and rural
students still exists. Therefore, the study would be exploring the current scenario for
English language teaching together with problems faced by teachers and students in rural
secondary schools and highlight some prospects to the English language teaching at rural
area secondary schools.