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Removing English as core subject?
Published on: 2021-03-09
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Is English really that important? A Chinese lawmaker at the two sessions has proposed removing English as a core subject for Chinese students receiving compulsory education, triggering heated discussion on Chinese social media.
 

The proposal was made by Xu Jin, a member of the Central Committee of the Jiusan Society and also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). It has also been proposed by other lawmakers in previous years.
 

Some experts said the idea is just narrow-minded populism and is unlikely to be adopted, as China's importance in globalization means that it needs the global language to share views and technology with the outside world. Others said it was reasonable as the majority of Chinese people do not use English in their lives, except during their education.
 

"In the compulsory education stage, English and other foreign language courses should no longer be set as the main subjects equivalent to Chinese and mathematics, and should be removed as compulsory subjects from the college entrance examination," Xu said.
 

Xu believes the amount of time spent on English by students will not lead to commensurate results in future employment. English teaching hours account for about 10 percent of students' total class hours, but English is only useful for less than 10 percent of college graduates, he said.

Instead, smart devices offering translation could provide professional, competitive translation services and more problem-solving than English teaching goals that run through the entire compulsory education, Xu said, adding that translation is one of the first occupations that will die out in the era of artificial intelligence.
 

If English was not a compulsory main subject, students could spend more time improving their education in areas such as music, sports and arts and lay more emphasis on cultivating independent thinking and innovative capabilities, Xu said.
 

Many agreed that Chinese students spend a lot of time learning English but do not really use it later in life, and suggested it could be an optional course instead.
 

One online poll showed most were in favor of continuing to have English as a main subject as they believed it was necessary to participate in global competition, while a smaller number of people supported Xu's proposal, saying they would rather more time was spent learning Chinese language and culture.
 

取消英语主科地位,你赞成吗?

今年两会,全国政协委员、九三学社中央委员许进建议改革义务教育阶段英语的必修课地位。这一建议在网上引发了热议。
 

许进在建议中表示,义务教育阶段,英语等外语课程不再设为与语文和数学同等的主课,增加体育、音乐、艺术等素质教育课程占比。不再将英语(或外语)设为高考必考的科目。
 

许进的解释是:英语教学课时约占学生总课时的10%,但英语只对不到10%的大学毕业生有用。此外,现在的翻译机可以提供口语翻译服务,技术十分成熟。在人工智能时代,翻译职业位居即将被淘汰职业的前10名。

这番话立即引发网友热议。有些网友认为这一建议值得商榷。

不过,也有网友表示,花了很多时间学英语,日常生活中却用不到,确实有点浪费时间。一项在线调查显示,参与调查的人当中,有超过11万反对这项建议,并表示学校应该早开英语课,提升中国在全世界的竞争力。约有10万人支持该建议,认为应该花更多时间学习中文和文化。

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