by Charles Liu
The NanfangToday, 9:26 PM
A recent international ranking that shows China has dropped ten places behind its regional peers in English proficiency has led language professionals to conclude that Beijing is not prioritizing English education as it once was.
According to the report, China’s English proficiency score ranks behind Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and top-ranked Singapore.
But it’s not necessarily because generations of Chinese students are poorer learners than their regional peers. According to language training company EF Education First, who conducted the 70 country survey, the Chinese government has “questioned how much emphasis should be placed on English training in the public education system,” said EF’s Hong Kong-based Director of Research and Academic Partnerships, Minh Tran.
The gaokao, China’s national university entrance examination, has reduced the weight of the English testing component for students this year while raising the Chinese language component. Moreover, Chinese news media has alleged that English threatens the “purity” of the Chinese language.
Gaokao revisions and proficiency rates aside, according to Tran, “China’s private English learning centers, have only gained popularity among students and professionals, who seek to gain a competitive edge outside of the public system in order to work in an international setting or study abroad.” EF expects the number of English online learners in China to grow from 67.2 million in 2013 to 120 million by 2017.
Interestingly, while China’s English proficiency is decreasing, it is quickly rising in Latin America. Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Uruguay and Guatemala all now rank higher than China.
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