Taiwan ranked ninth among 12 Asian countries rated in an English skills index published in Chinese yesterday, outperforming only Vietnam, China and Thailand.
The result was reported by international education company Education First, which rated 1.7 million adults from 54 countries worldwide from 2009 to last year based on tests covering English listening and reading proficiency.
Taiwan ranked ninth in Asia and 30th in the world, and its global ranking was within the 26th-to-38th range that represents low proficiency, the company’s English Proficiency Index showed.
Singapore, Malaysia, India and Pakistan — countries where English is an official language — led Asian countries in the rankings, followed by South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Indonesia.
Globally, European countries, led by Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland and Norway, topped the list.
Commenting on Singapore and Malaysia’s English skills, Education First senior vice president Christopher McCormick said the two nations have higher levels of proficiency because of their multi-ethnic populations who rely on English to communicate.
Although South Korea (21st) and Japan (22nd) put a high priority on education, the lack of an English-speaking environment, the focus on memorization and passive interaction between teachers and students led to proficiency levels falling below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average, he said.
McCormick suggested that Taiwan improve the public’s English ability in general to boost its competitiveness internationally.
The report also highlighted the discrepancy in English proficiency among different industries. Employees in the tourism, consultancy and telecommunications sectors topped the list, while civil servants came in last.
However, Education First added that the test was voluntary and many people who are highly proficient in English were not likely to have taken it.
The company said the index does not necessarily represent the actual situation, but could serve as a reference for governments when drawing up education strategies.
The English version of the index was published late last month. Education First’s Taiwan branch released the Chinese-language version yesterday at an event attended by local high-school English teachers to discuss the nation’s English language education.
The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union yesterday vowed to protest at the EVA Air Marathon on Sunday next week should EVA Airway Corp’s management continue to ignore the union’s petition to change rules on employees’ leave of absence system, after a flight attendant reportedly died after working on a long-haul flight while ill. The case has generated public discussion over whether taking personal or sick leave should affect a worker’s performance review. Several union members yesterday protested at the Legislative Yuan, holding white flowers and placards, while shouting: “Life is priceless; requesting leave is not a crime.” “The union is scheduled to meet with
‘UNITED FRONT’ RHETORIC: China’s TAO also plans to hold weekly, instead of biweekly, news conferences because it wants to control the cross-strait discourse, an expert said China’s plan to expand its single-entry visa-on-arrival service to Taiwanese would be of limited interest to Taiwanese and is a feeble attempt by Chinese administrators to demonstrate that they are doing something, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said the program aims to facilitate travel to China for Taiwanese compatriots, regardless of whether they are arriving via direct flights or are entering mainland China through Hong Kong, Macau or other countries, and they would be able to apply for a single-entry visa-on-arrival at all eligible entry points in China. The policy aims
EVA Airways president Sun Chia-ming (孫嘉明) and other senior executives yesterday bowed in apology over the death of a flight attendant, saying the company has begun improving its health-reporting, review and work coordination mechanisms. “We promise to handle this matter with the utmost responsibility to ensure safer and healthier working conditions for all EVA Air employees,” Sun said. The flight attendant, a woman surnamed Sun (孫), died on Friday last week of undisclosed causes shortly after returning from a work assignment in Milan, Italy, the airline said. Chinese-language media reported that the woman fell ill working on a Taipei-to-Milan flight on Sept. 22
COUNTERMEASURE: Taiwan was to implement controls for 47 tech products bound for South Africa after the latter downgraded and renamed Taipei’s ‘de facto’ offices The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still reviewing a new agreement proposed by the South African government last month to regulate the status of reciprocal representative offices, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. Asked about the latest developments in a year-long controversy over Taiwan’s de facto representative office in South Africa, Lin during a legislative session said that the ministry was consulting with legal experts on the proposed new agreement. While the new proposal offers Taiwan greater flexibility, the ministry does not find it acceptable, Lin said without elaborating. The ministry is still open to resuming retaliatory measures against South