NETs are drain on resources
Your How We See It editorial commentary ('Are best English teachers born to it?', May 31) refers to the futile idea of 'best English teachers' inconsequentially, without contextual regard for the practical purpose of foreign language education in Hong Kong.
It misapprehends the implication of Professor Andy Kirkpatrick's argument for 'the multilingual way [to become] the linguistic model for teaching kids English here, not that of a native English speaker' ('Call for revolution in English teaching', May 27).
If indigenous English teachers with 'the same linguistic background' as local students 'provide the right model for English teaching in Hong Kong', there is no justification for the thousand-strong native English-speaking teachers (NETs) now imported for placement in local schools. Instead of 'advocating the status quo', as your commentary wrongly alleges, the professor's argument implies a need to reform our English teaching policy.
To illustrate the need for reform, consider Amanda Chapman's letter ('Local schools cannot meet the needs of children who don't speak Cantonese', May 28). She says local and English Schools Foundation schools differ in their education 'styles', with the former committed to 'a rote learning system'. ESF and local schools share similar curriculums and prepare students for comparable exams. What accounts for the difference in styles?
Local students are all familiar with the Confucian adage that rote and critical thinking are both needed for effective learning. Local schools' emphasis on rote learning is expedient, a response to intense competition and not a cultural preference. As instruments for allocating limited university places, local exams have a more difficult syllabus and more stringent grading policy than overseas exams taken by ESF students. Competition for tertiary places encourages rote learning. Reform must aim at optimising allocation of resources.
Replacement of NETs by local teachers will substantially reduce financial and social costs. As Ms Chapman notes, NETs who are imported to teach local children in 'rote-learning' schools demand places in Hong Kong's limited non-rote-learning schools for their non-Cantonese-speaking children who are 'not used to' rote learning. Reduction of NETs will attenuate competition for places in less competitive schools.
