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Letter: Improving English writing

Eileen Han's letter bemoans students' deplorable scores on the English writing portion of college entrance exams (Letters, March 27, page 8).

It is both sad and amusing to continually hear the same litany of complaints about the same problems, year after year.

There are a number of reasons for this pathetic state of affairs.

First, there is no accountability in Taiwan.

Has anyone ever been fired at the Ministry of Education for these endless, intractable problems or the continuing high rate of students failing college entrance exams?

Nobody holds the so-called experts to account.

In other countries, heads would roll after such incompetence had been uncovered, but not in Taiwan.

Last year at a conference, these "experts" warned against teaching English to young students.

This is what they have concluded in all their "wisdom."

The truth is that these "experts" and the Ministry of Education have absolutely no idea how to improve students' English proficiency.

The following steps are absolutely essential for ameliorating the situation.

First, English must be taught starting at the kindergarten level.

Second, all teachers who teach English writing should be tested, and only those who can write well should be given the task of teaching writing to students.

Third, more foreign teachers should be hired to teach English writing, as it is very difficult for non-native speakers to teach.

Fourth, a number of other subjects should also be taught in English.

Fifth, educators should stop listening to supposed experts who have never been helpful for improving the level of education in this country.

Sixth, one person at the Ministry of Education should oversee English teaching and be held accountable for the results.

Seventh, changes should be made in examinations and teaching methodology that emphasize both memorization and dull grammatical rules, as Han correctly points out.

Eighth, the amount of English reading and literature assigned to students should be increased and English films should be incorporated into such courses to improve listening skills.

Ninth, Bushibans should be incorporated into the regular school system, so that poorer families may also benefit from what they have to offer.

The existence of these cram schools attests to the failure of the present school system.

Why should Taiwanese parents have to pay for classes that ostensibly compensate for the system's failures?

All of the public schools are empty after class is dismissed. What a waste of resources!

Finally, new English teachers should teach in rural areas for up to two years to gain their certification.

In a nutshell, the low level of English writing here is partly a result of the inability to hire a sufficient numbers of qualified teachers.

Since the students are in Taiwan and the teachers are abroad, the Internet can bridge the divide by linking students to real experts on writing.

Today, students can take advantage of such companies by submitting their written work to foreign teachers who correct the work and track the corrections to aid students in improving their writing.

Unfortunately, this will only suit those who can afford such services, but at least some will be helped.

Chaim Melamed
Pingtung
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