As Taiwan speeds up its integration into the international community, learning English is becoming a hot pursuit in the government and private spheres alike. But this craze has also created new problems.
Elementary schools in seven counties and cities have included English courses in their first-grade curricula, instead of the third-grade as prescribed by the Ministry of Education. Many parents are sending their children to bilingual kindergartens, fearing that a late start in learning English may cause their kids to fall behind. Learning English is a good thing, but the education authorities should carefully evaluate the possible negative effects of starting foreign language lessons too early.
The ability of Taiwan's students to get high TOEFL scores in the past was testament to cram schools' TOEFL test archives and skill at "guessing' what would be on the tests. High TOEFL scores do not necessarily mean the test-taker has good reading, listening or writing skills. Taiwanese see their grades fall immediately whenever essay-writing is added.
The average score of Taiwanese who took the latest TOFEL was better only than for Japanese -- which doesn't say much. A look at Taiwan's overall English proficiency level leaves one even more pessimistic. Many third to seventh grade students can't identify the letters of the English alphabet. After studying English for 10 years, many college graduates still won't speak English with foreigners, much less express their thoughts in writing. The apparent English-friendliness of Taiwan is actually cause for embarrassment, given the numerous spelling and grammatical mistakes seen in official road signs, documents and instruction manuals.
The authorities want to designate English as a semi-official language and make an all-out effort to ensure Web sites, road signs and official documents are bilingual. The idea of airing English-language TV news programs to make Taiwan appear more "foreigner-friendly" has also cropped up again -- despite the failures of previous such efforts. The private sector has filled bookstores with English-instruction magazines and textbooks while bushibans are raking in the money. The teeth-jarring melodies once blasted by Tainan garbage trucks have been replaced with simple English lessons.
The rush to jump on the English-language bandwagon is not without possible side effects. Confusion can easily result when youngsters study a foreign language while they are also putting considerable effort into memorizing Chinese characters. This could result in a lower proficiency in Mandarin without improving English proficiency. A greater proficiency in English could also create a sense of superiority or linguistic "class" divisions among students. There is already a clear economic divide between those children whose parents can afford to pay for private classes and teachers and those who can't afford them.
The emphasis on learning foreign languages early could also impede efforts to consolidate a Taiwanese consciousness or national identity. Taiwan has experienced the problems and cultural confusion caused by enforced language training. During the Japanese colonial era people were forced to learn Japanese and use Japanese names. When the KMT government arrived, it forced Mandarin Chinese education down the throats of Taiwanese. Both resulted in serious distortion of Taiwan's cultural development.
History should not be repeated on the path to internationalization. The people of Taiwan must take care to maintain their own cultural values. Elementary school students learning English is not a bad idea, but the Ministry of Education must conduct a thorough evaluation of the educational and psychological impact of such lessons in order to determine the right age for children to start learning English.
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