Providers of English Language Proficiency Assessment courses, which teachers can follow instead of sitting the benchmark test, have attracted so few applicants that some have been forced to cancel courses.
Only 358 teachers have enrolled in or are taking a course with the five local training providers, a fraction of the 14,000 English teachers who must either pass the test or complete courses by 2005. The lack of interest has been felt across the board. The Language Centre at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) cancelled its February and May courses because it did not receive the minimum 15 applications per course.
'We hope to get enough applications for our September L course,'' said Adrian Cheung Wing-cheung, officer in the L university's development affairs office.
'My colleagues are not going to do the training until the last minute. They think in the end it might be dropped,'' said Sophie, one of a group of teachers taking the course at Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Centre for Professional and Business English, who talked to Education Poste about the courses. They did not wish to give their full names.
Albert, a primary teacher, said his colleagues were equally reluctant to enrol and that some were considering switching to another subject. 'This will not be easy as there are not enough English teachers in primary schools. Most of us do not want to teach English. We are told by our headmaster we have to,'' he said.
The five local course providers are the Hong Kong Baptist University, the British Council, Hong Kong Institute of Education, PolyU and HKUST.