Lately there has been increasing debate about the status of English language in Thai society. Many arguments are made for and against the relevance of English languageand its usefulness. Arguments made by Thai politicianstake us back and forth about the role of English languageand distracts us away from the realities of this newcentury. This nationalistic faction believes that imposing English language on Thai people is against their culture,heritage and their unique identity. The same group also argues that Thailand was never colonized so why botherto learn English. For them English is the language of the British colonies. It has no place in Thai society. Someothers with a myopic vision believe that Thai peopleshould not be made to feel insecure and inferior because of all the hype about importance of learning English.
It is an historical fact that in the 17th century the British did not go around the world to impose their language; they went places with an intention to do trade. Later, they forcibly occupied many countries in Africa and Asia.And of course they occupied North America and USA as well. In their more than 300 years of history in Africa and Asia they conquered many countries. It was followed by the creation of their own system of education, transport, communication and governance. Britishnecessarily did not force people in the colonies to embrace English. In many cases, the rulers of princelystates and elite in the colonies willingly adopted Englishlanguage to have better relations with their new rulers. Spread of English language in colonies did not drastically change the native culture and identity. Stretching from India, Malaysia to Indonesia and Hong Kong the English language became an alternate way for communication. It was always used as other language along with several local languages and dialects.
In Europe the British did not impose their rule on neighboring countries. Scandinavian countries were never colonized but they learned to do business withEngland. They willingly adopted English as another language so that they could have better economic ties with England.
Days of colonization are now history. Every country that was part of the British Empire is now free. The whole landscape is changed by rapid expansion ofcommunication technologies, transportation and financial markets. Colonization is now replaced by much more powerful forces of globalization. English language is no longer a cultural imposition; it is the language of the Internet, Facebook and Twitter. It has become the language of the global markets.
In this context, a common language can become a powerful tool to succeed in globalized economies. So the old argument that language is integral to a cultureidentity does not necessarily lead to separating it from others. Language is just one part of a culture.
To be able to migrate to other countries and be able to find a better paying job requires knowing more than one language. Knowing English is even better especially when a person wants to go to England, Australia or America to have higher education or explore new options for a better job or a career. Proficiency in English becomes an essential requirement. One's culture is not going to help to survive in a foreign land. Besides manners, work ethics and life style issues the language should also be seen as an essential survival tool.
Well, in Thailand English teaching and learning problems cannot be solved by employing the "native speakers". As mentioned earlier, Switzerland, and many other European countries where teaching and learning English is a big success, do not rely on what my colleague Dr. Sorin, call as "na (t) ive" speakers but on their own teachers of English.
In Asia, a good example is India. Although colonized formore than two centuries India does not employ foreigners to teach English. Yet, it has a huge population that can speak and write English. It has grown its own crop of English teachers. They are all graduates of Indianuniversities majoring in English. Singapore and Malaysiaalso followed the same model. It created its own pool ofexcellent English teachers.
If the Thai Ministry of Education is genuinely interested in improving English education, then they have to do the following:
Improve the quality of Thai English teachers. The teachers of English have to be good; they have to be aninspiration for their students. It would be very natural for young Thai students to say "if my teacher could do it, I can do it too". A white hillbilly native speaker from Texas, USA without a degree in English literature can never be an inspiration for Thai students.
If Thailand really wants to employ a foreign teacher, then he/she must be a real qualified language teacher, not just a na (t) ive speaker. It has to be one who has a high degree in language or linguistics, and who has also learned at least one or more foreign languages.
Although there may be some similarities between ASEAN and the European Union's Bologna Process which seeks to harmonize the region's higher education system. But in comparison to Europe the diversity in education systems and economic development across ASEAN presents many more difficult challenges. There is still hope that both the Thai politicians and the civil servants realize that in an emerging Asian Economic Community (AEC) English language can become a common language and act as glue that can bind the region together. It is very clear that English language is playing a major role in the process of globalization.
Another area of improvement that requires some urgent action is the Thai popular media. There should be more and more English language based news papers, magazines, radio stations and television shows focused on creating sights and sounds that can immerse the learners in an environment that facilitates learning ofEnglish language. Language learning is based on the sights and sound surrounding the learners.
So instead of wasting time on deciding what to call English, (English as a Foreign Language (EFL) or English as Second Language (ESL) and for what reason, the Thai Ministry of Education should really be engaged in and concerned about improving the quality of English teachers and of English teaching in Thailand.
Lately there has been increasing debate about the status of English language in Thai society. Many arguments are made for and against the relevance of English languageand its usefulness. Arguments made by Thai politicianstake us back and forth about the role of English languageand distracts us away from the realities of this newcentury. This nationalistic faction believes that imposing English language on Thai people is against their culture,heritage and their unique identity. The same group also argues that Thailand was never colonized so why botherto learn English. For them English is the language of the British colonies. It has no place in Thai society. Someothers with a myopic vision believe that Thai peopleshould not be made to feel insecure and inferior because of all the hype about importance of learning English.
It is an historical fact that in the 17th century the British did not go around the world to impose their language; they went places with an intention to do trade. Later, they forcibly occupied many countries in Africa and Asia.And of course they occupied North America and USA as well. In their more than 300 years of history in Africa and Asia they conquered many countries. It was followed by the creation of their own system of education, transport, communication and governance. Britishnecessarily did not force people in the colonies to embrace English. In many cases, the rulers of princelystates and elite in the colonies willingly adopted Englishlanguage to have better relations with their new rulers. Spread of English language in colonies did not drastically change the native culture and identity. Stretching from India, Malaysia to Indonesia and Hong Kong the English language became an alternate way for communication. It was always used as other language along with several local languages and dialects.
In Europe the British did not impose their rule on neighboring countries. Scandinavian countries were never colonized but they learned to do business withEngland. They willingly adopted English as another language so that they could have better economic ties with England.
Days of colonization are now history. Every country that was part of the British Empire is now free. The whole landscape is changed by rapid expansion ofcommunication technologies, transportation and financial markets. Colonization is now replaced by much more powerful forces of globalization. English language is no longer a cultural imposition; it is the language of the Internet, Facebook and Twitter. It has become the language of the global markets.
In this context, a common language can become a powerful tool to succeed in globalized economies. So the old argument that language is integral to a cultureidentity does not necessarily lead to separating it from others. Language is just one part of a culture.
To be able to migrate to other countries and be able to find a better paying job requires knowing more than one language. Knowing English is even better especially when a person wants to go to England, Australia or America to have higher education or explore new options for a better job or a career. Proficiency in English becomes an essential requirement. One's culture is not going to help to survive in a foreign land. Besides manners, work ethics and life style issues the language should also be seen as an essential survival tool.
Well, in Thailand English teaching and learning problems cannot be solved by employing the "native speakers". As mentioned earlier, Switzerland, and many other European countries where teaching and learning English is a big success, do not rely on what my colleague Dr. Sorin, call as "na (t) ive" speakers but on their own teachers of English.
In Asia, a good example is India. Although colonized formore than two centuries India does not employ foreigners to teach English. Yet, it has a huge population that can speak and write English. It has grown its own crop of English teachers. They are all graduates of Indianuniversities majoring in English. Singapore and Malaysiaalso followed the same model. It created its own pool ofexcellent English teachers.
If the Thai Ministry of Education is genuinely interested in improving English education, then they have to do the following:
Improve the quality of Thai English teachers. The teachers of English have to be good; they have to be aninspiration for their students. It would be very natural for young Thai students to say "if my teacher could do it, I can do it too". A white hillbilly native speaker from Texas, USA without a degree in English literature can never be an inspiration for Thai students.
If Thailand really wants to employ a foreign teacher, then he/she must be a real qualified language teacher, not just a na (t) ive speaker. It has to be one who has a high degree in language or linguistics, and who has also learned at least one or more foreign languages.
Although there may be some similarities between ASEAN and the European Union's Bologna Process which seeks to harmonize the region's higher education system. But in comparison to Europe the diversity in education systems and economic development across ASEAN presents many more difficult challenges. There is still hope that both the Thai politicians and the civil servants realize that in an emerging Asian Economic Community (AEC) English language can become a common language and act as glue that can bind the region together. It is very clear that English language is playing a major role in the process of globalization.
Another area of improvement that requires some urgent action is the Thai popular media. There should be more and more English language based news papers, magazines, radio stations and television shows focused on creating sights and sounds that can immerse the learners in an environment that facilitates learning ofEnglish language. Language learning is based on the sights and sound surrounding the learners.
So instead of wasting time on deciding what to call English, (English as a Foreign Language (EFL) or English as Second Language (ESL) and for what reason, the Thai Ministry of Education should really be engaged in and concerned about improving the quality of English teachers and of English teaching in Thailand.
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