The nation's students are in trouble. Your engaging news story ("All languages are equal, Su says," March 21, page 1) reminded me of our students' great difficulty in learning another language of equal importance: English.
In the recent college entrance exam, 10 percent of students obtained a zero grade in English translation and composition.
This result raised anxiety over our student's English proficiency and the contribution they can make to the nation's global competitiveness.
Why do so many students give up on writing and translation? By simply writing a few words, they can get a few points. Still, some of the would rather leave a blank page. One wonders what is on their mind when they do this, or how they perceive the English language.
The reasons behind the problem are well worth exploring. To Taiwanese students, English is a foreign language. In another words, it plays only a small role in everyday communication.
Even though English is the lingua franca of contemporary times, it is still not the major language used for communication in Taiwan. Compared with Chinese, students are therefore disinclined to learn it.
However, interest can be cultivated in many ways, such as by listening to English songs, watching movies, reading books or quality newspapers like the Taipei Times. Doing so helps individuals immerse themselves in English and facilitates a gradual learning of the language.
Beyond all this, however, a clear, national strategy is needed.
The nation is host to a great number of English cram schools. Many parents send their children to these schools from a very early age. Sadly, however, many parents are unable to offer this to their children, and the reasons why this is so must be identified and addressed.
The government officially promotes English education. Substantial amounts of resources and energy have been spent on this project, which starts at the elementary school level.
The problem, though, lies in the method chosen to teach English. Rather than making it a tool for communication, English has been turned into an object for examination.
Students are required to memorize words and grammatical rules and are tested in meaningless exams. Instead, they should be given the opportunity to engage in creative writing and practice communication.
Given the pressures attendant to exams, the requirement to memorize and the inflexible manner in which it is taught, it is no wonder many students have lost interest in English.
Ensuring that students regain an interest in learning this useful language should be a priority of our leaders.
Eileen Han
Taipei
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