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Low-income students are crying out for our help

`Those students who give up English probably have no money for supplementary schooling or tutoring. We should therefore provide them with free tutors.'

A few days ago, two of my colleagues told me a sad story. Their children, in their first year of junior high school, have no problems reading English. Some students in their class, however, often hand in unanswered test papers because they have completely given up on learning the language.

It is true that there are students who give up English in their first year of junior high school. The Ministry of Education has taken some measures in response to the growing trend, but these measures are intended to come into play only after the students have given up. Unfortunately, students who have already given up are rarely inclined to resume their study of the language. To give up English is a serious matter, one which the children involved will later come to regret and which will have negative consequences for them.

The government must take swift action to deal with this urgent problem. Those students who give up English probably have no money for supplementary schooling or tutoring. We should therefore provide them with free tutors. As there are universities in the vicinities of many towns and villages, students could assist junior high school students in their language study.

The ministry should take the initiative to establish contact with junior high schools and identify the poor and disadvantaged students who need help in their study of English. The ministry should sign a contract with the universities allowing the latter to select qualified student tutors and the former to conduct quality control by conducting random spot checks.

My experience in student counselling tells me that pronunciation is the biggest challenge for first-year junior high school students. The tutors should repeatedly recite the English vocabulary to the students, starting with simple and basic words. Phonetic aids would ideally not be used. Children should be encouraged to work out the sound of the word and pronounce it on their own. They can make progress if they are able to guess the pronunciation. It doesn't matter if they make mistakes. Remuneration, of course, should be provided to student tutors.

If possible, the ministry should provide an electronic English dictionary equipped with pronunciation functions, to each and every one of the disadvantaged students.

If budget constraints prevent this, however, public welfare organizations should contribute funds to assist the ministry with the problem of junior high school students giving up English. The fact that students tend never to learn English once they have opted to give it up stands to cost the individuals concerned and the country dearly.

The government must assume responsibility for these students who abandon their pursuit of English. It must take decisive action to help these disadvantaged students.

Lee Chia-tung is a professor at National Chinan University.

Translated by Grace Shaw
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