HYDERABAD: Scholars at a conference held here on Monday urged the youth to learn English to survive and progress in a competitive, fast-paced and demanding world characterised by ever-changing technological, economic, political and corporate challenges.

They were speaking at the inauguration ceremony of three-day first `International conference on language andliterature`organised byInstitute of English Language and Literature of the University of Sindh (SU) at Shaikh Ayaz Auditorium in SU, Jamshoro.

SU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Fateh Mohammad Burfat who presided over the moot congratulated organisers of the conference which, he said, served as an excellent and advantageousplatform and source of generation, sharing, discussion and dissemination of knowledge.

He said the conference having highly important theme of language and literature assumed special significance within the social sciences framework as it would bring into focus highly sensitive issues like language policy, language and gender, language and politics, language imperialism, language hegemony, latest trends in world literature.

Naziha Ali Jafri of UAE and former president of TESOL Arabia focused on teacher development in English language teaching and emphasised the need for English language teachers to subject themselves continuously to the task of self-renection, self-evaluation and self-scepticism to continue growing as successful professionals.`We as teachers are classroom leaders and we have the power to influence our students. Hence, we must be the best,` she urged.

She also linked teacher development to receiving constant and consistent feedback from learners who they engaged with, to tell them what worked and what did not really work and how.

Adam Barbiroch, research fellow at Perdeniya University, Sri Lanka, outlined broad counters of his action research.

The session concluded with a stimulating question-answer engagement between audience and speakers.

Earlier, the president and the chief guest of the conference were presented memento shields.

Former Sindh Assembly speaker Abdullah Hussain Haroon was chief guest on the occasion.