GUNTUR: Acquiring skills in communicative English is necessary to survive in a competitive world, P. Ramanujam, Director, English Language Teaching (ELT), Andhra Loyola College, said on Tuesday.

The importance of mastering communicative English has gained more importance due to globalisation and the various career opportunities in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector. Dr. Ramanujam gave a call for setting up language labs in colleges, which would pave the way for systematic training in spoken and written English.

They would also help students master phonology and teach conversation skills.

Delivering the keynote address at a seminar on ‘Communication skills' held at Bapatla College of Arts and Science, he said that the time had come for colleges to focus on imparting communicative skills.

Professor of English, Acharya Nagarjuna University, P. Rajasekhar, said that communication skills can be acquired through reading English literature. Reading literature improves ones knowledge, which in turn facilitates competence in communication, he said, adding that competence in communication skills comes from culture.

Education Society secretary M. Nageswara Rao, treasurer M. Krishna Gupta, college principal K. Sriramachandra Babu and others spoke. Some 60 delegates from different colleges presented papers in the seminar.