One minute of freedom
I’m writing to respond to Tuesday’s editorial (“Jackie Chan: Friend of repression,” April 21, page 8). Jackie Chan’s (成龍) movies always entertained us. Alas, there is a vast difference between the evil-destroying silver-screen superhero and the real-life individual. It is hard to comprehend that a person of such stature and exposure could utter such nonsense.
As an Indian, I am well aware how chaotic a democracy can be. We also know that because of this chaos, we still have a long way to go to achieve prosperity, despite our abundant natural and human resources.
However, I would like to tell Chan that while I can wait 50 more years for prosperity, I am not ready to lose one minute of my freedom.
Although Chan’s remark was specific to “Chinese,” we all share the same fundamental values of freedom and prosperity.
SANTOSH GAIROLA
Hsinchu, Taiwan
‘Village’ people mistaken
The government plan to improve English in Taiwan includes setting up “English villages,” artificial communities where only English is spoken (“Council approves program to invest US$17.7m to raise English proficiency,” April 22, page 2).
Several English villages are in operation in Asia, but thus far there has been no published evidence that they help.
Aside from being expensive to set up and run, they serve only a tiny percentage of those interested in English — only about 1,000 students per year in a country where several million students study English in school.
Research in second-language acquisition indicates there are much more cost-effective ways to help students get better in English, such as establishing libraries with good collections of English books and recordings and devoting time in school to self-selected reading in English. Much of this research has been done in Taiwan and in other Asian countries.
I hope the government will reconsider the English village plan.
STEPHEN KRASHEN
Los Angeles, California
It is ironic that the announcement of government plans to “invest” US$17.7 million in “English villages” was made by the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission. Where is the “research” to suggest that this “investment” will accomplish its stated aim of improving English proficiency? To my knowledge, there is no research suggesting that sinking money into these villages will come anywhere close to paying off.
Is the criterion the Council for Economic Planning and Development used in approving this proposal based solely on the fact that the commission has the word “research” in its name? Was the commission ever asked to present material justification to demonstrate the merits of its proposal?
Or was it simply enough to convince the council that the endeavor would serve the economic stakeholders at the expense of students and taxpayers who deserve much, much better?
“Immersing students in an all-English environment to provide an alternative for those who cannot afford private tutoring or study programs abroad” seems noble only if read at the speed at which this concept has apparently been conceived. Where is the discussion as to whether this is the best choice? Are English villages really the optimal strategy by which to improve literacy and the ability to function in the language? If results from other countries where this experiment has been tried are any indication, the answer is an emphatic “no.”
The unnamed commission official consulted in the writing of the article says students will be able to obtain certificates proving they are proficient in English, but as there has so far been no substantial evidence to suggest that significant improvements in proficiency result from immersion in English villages, the highest hope I hold for the certificates is that they be worth the paper they’re printed on.
So unless the real aim of these villages is to co-opt people’s educational aspirations to encourage private investment in public infrastructure and raise the public profiles of a few politicians, this will only be the next in a series of failures in the region.
Experience shows measurable improvements in language learning do not result from speaking badly. They come from learning well. A proven and far more economical alternative to private tutoring or studying abroad is encouraging students to read stuff they like. It’s really that simple! If a student runs across the phrase “throw money at it” and doesn’t know what it means and Googles it, (s)he will find a result from The Free Dictionary that reads: “to try to solve a problem by indiscriminately spending money on it.”
This council has thrown money at the housing problem, but it has brought nothing but disaster. The lesson? Don’t just throw money at problems.
Simple observation, basic research and appropriate action go a long way toward saving time and money.
MARTIN DE JONGE
Fulong, Taipei County
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