Teaching english for medical purposes – from theory to practice: challenges encountered in elt at secondary level

This paper analyses the current educational framework for foreign language teaching in secondary schools in Serbia, with the focus on teaching medical English viewed from the perspective of English for Specific Purposes principles. The aim of this work is to define these principles and present their develop- ment and changes within ESP theory and practice ever since it was incepted in the 1960s, and to investigate how much of these principles is present in the official documents regulating teaching foreign languages in secondary vocational schools for health care workers. The purpose of this work is to identify the areas which could be improved, and to propose solutions how to implement ESP methods and techniques in teaching medical English to secondary school students.