English Proficiency

During my stay in Bali, I talked to some local people such as staff in hotel and restaurants. I realized that though people in general are not very educated, they can speak English fluently or I may say accurately. According to my understanding, English is a foreign language in Bali and most students may not receive a lot of training in both written and spoken English. However, tourism is a booming industry in Bali and a lot of school leavers will learn English after they graduate in order to make themselves competitive in the job market. A lady, called Yani, told me she attended evening school so that she could find a stable and well-paid job in hotel. Hence, communication with local people is not a problem. For example, in the hotel that I stay, almost everyone can speak English fluently including the housekeeping people.

When I flew back to Hong Kong, I was thinking if teachers could make learning English as an incentive or a lure, perhaps English education in Hong Kong may not be a failure. I attended a talk on Day 3, given by Dr. David Carless. When he mentioned Hong Kong children learnt English since they were three, all the audience expressed disbelief and astonishment. But I would say earlier may not be equivalent to better! Most Hong Kong students learn English at their young age, but it seems they also hate English much earlier than other pupils in other countries. It's because they learn English to tackle exams rather than to learn it for fun! I think it's time for Hong Kong educators to think about what the problems are. There is no use crying spilt milk. We should find out all possible solutions. Small-class teaching may be the first step to untangle the problem....