Teach language for use, not just exams

The English language should not become the scapegoat for China’s poor English-language teaching system, says an article in 21st Century Business Herald. Excerpt:

Many Chinese are happy that the education authority decided to lower the English language test’s proportion in the total score of the national college entrance exam.

They argue that it is a waste of time and money to learn English, because many students cannot speak and write English well even after studying the language for about 10 years.

But they never reflect on why the most-used language in the world has become a nightmare for hardworking Chinese students. The exam-oriented English language teaching system should take the blame.

Many Chinese English-language teachers do not pay attention to developing students’ interest in the language, or improving their ability to use the language in daily life. English is not taught as a popular language, but as a dull subject that stresses memorization more than use.

In the poor regions of inland China, there are not many chances to come in contact with things related to the English language, let alone to use English every day. Many English-language teachers are products of the exam-oriented test system themselves.

Such teachers, in most cases, kill the students’ interest in the language.