Should the Korean government go ahead with the English-only classes? |
A source close to the Korean government hinted that the president elect would introduce English only classes to boost the level of English spoken by students, while alleviating the financial burden on parents seeking top-quality education. It seems that the plan would provide Korean students with an enhanced opportunity to practice English in public schools. Nevertheless, it is expected to put a heavy load on the education sector hoping to train teachers to be fully competent for the task. At the same time, it is even questionable whether students will be exposed to good English. Thus, I believe it is an opportune time to shed some light on the negative prospects of the English- oriented schooling in its infancy. For a start, the plan will inevitably cost taxpayers’ money to retrain teachers, which in turn puts financial pressure on parents. Studies have found that people are known to easily pick up other languages at the early stage of life whereas the learning ability decreases as they become older. Thus, it is nearly impossible for current English teachers to exercise a native-level of English which is indispensable to teach in English. In short, the plan will be costly but the outcome will not be very rewarding. Secondly, the plan will require near-perfect English lessons to be effective. The English only class is supposed to demonstrate good examples of English usage so that the students soak up quality English from teachers. Given that most Korean English teachers are still in the process of perfecting their English, it is quite wrong to expect their students to reach a fairly good level of English regardless of intensive exposure to broken English. Two wrongs do not make a right.
Last but not least, it is doubly naive to assume English is a key to success. Taking Japan for example, it is quite obvious that English is not necessarily important in winning a race in a global market. Let us face it: what made Microsoft and Google successful were innovative ideas coupled with endless effort to realize them. Therefore the government should not mislead Koreans in thinking that English is a panacea for every problem we face today. |