TEACHERS OF ENGLISH IN CHINESE SCHOOLS

Mr Ho Kah Leong asked the Minister for Education if he is aware (a) that some Cambridge School Certificate holders teach English not only in secondary classes but also in Pre-University classes in Chinese schools; and (b) that some English teachers regard posting to Chinese schools as a drudgery and try their best to be transferred away; and what steps he proposes to take in the matter.

Dr Lee Chiaw Meng (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, I have been asked by my Minister to reply. It is true that some of the teachers teaching English in Pre-University classes in Chinese secondary schools possess only the School Certificate qualification. However, this situation has to be viewed in the light of the following factors:

(1) The standard of English in the non-English medium school is generally pitched at a level two years below that of a corresponding class in the English school. That is to say, Pre-University I students in non-English schools are doing Secondary III English.

(2) Since 1965 special in-service courses in the teaching of English as a second language have been conducted for teachers of English in non-English schools. Of the 1,292 English teachers in Chinese schools, 794 have successfully completed the course and another 402 are currently undergoing training.

(3) Of the 212 teachers of English currently teaching in 21 Chinese secondary schools with Pre-University classes, 26 are graduates; five have had special training abroad in the teaching of English as a second language, and 14 possess the Higher School Certificate. As and when more graduates are available, they will be posted to Chinese secondary schools to teach English in the Pre-University classes.

In answer to the second part of the question, Sir, some teachers of English in Chinese schools prefer to be posted back to English schools for three main reasons:

(1) Being used to the environment of an English school, they find it difficult to adapt them selves to the situation in a Chinese school where the main language of instruction and school administration is Chinese.

(2) As teachers of English, they teach no other subjects.

Consequently, they find their work somewhat monotonous and the amount of corrections excessive.

(3) Very often teachers of English are called upon to help with translations and other chores because of their fluency in English.

My Ministry has taken steps to ascertain the number of such teachers who wish to be transferred back to English schools. At the same time, a circular has been issued inviting applicants from English-medium teachers who are genuinely interested in teaching English as a second language. Those who apply will be given special training in the teaching of English as a second language and posted to Chinese schools as replacements for those who opt to be posted back to English schools. The question of monotony and excessive work will also be ameliorated when science and technical subjects are taught in the English medium in the next few years.