Japanese protest compulsory English in schools

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Japanese protest compulsory English in schools

While India has been debating its language policy in primary schools for
decades now, with English seeming to still hold forth, in Japan, a
tentative move to teach English to the 5th and 6th grade students
compulsorily and place it in the lower classes as part of the special
activity programme has sparked off loud protests. While the academics are
opposing the move, it seems to have found favour in the education ministry
and among the business community. In fact, the Japan Association of
Corporate Executives had called for teaching spoken English, so that
business dealings could be easier. Nearly 90 per cent of the schools in
Japan teach some form of English. But it is not uniform or standardised.
This is the reason the education ministrys panel is citing to introduce
the recommendation, saying making it official would standardise the
teaching.

http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=147&page=33

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