[lg policy] Turkey: Study shows English-language proficiency low in state schools

[Harold Schiffman]

Study shows English-language proficiency low in state schools



A recent report ranks Turkey 43 among 44 countries in English-language
proficiency in schools. (Photo: Mühenna Kanveci)

20 February 2012 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL

According to a report by the Economic Policy Research Foundation of
Turkey (TEPAV), English-language proficiency in Turkish state schools
is extremely low, despite the fact that the subject is compulsory.
While Turkish society has debated the teaching of the Kurdish language
in schools in the last decade, English-language teaching has always
been seen as a problematic area of the Turkish education system.
According to TEPAV's “Turkey's English-Language Deficiency” report,
Turkey has taken 43rd place out of 44 countries in English-language
proficiency, falling behind countries such as Chile, Indonesia and
Saudi Arabia. Turkey needs to work harder to solve this issue,
especially when its geopolitical position and the fact that it is the
world's 16th-largest economy are taken into account.

English-language teaching in state schools does not go beyond a few
memorized sentences and words, the report says, and it makes a
connection between the English language and economic growth, saying
that Turkey has to improve its English-language teaching system in
order to keep its economic growth at a high level in the long-term.
According to the report, a common knowledge of English is not among
the fruits of economic development but is instead a step toward a good
economy.

The report states that English is more commonly known in many other
countries that have weaker economies than Turkey, and it adds that
countries in the top 25 allocate for education a minimum of $32,000
for every child aged 6 to 15 in state schools. However, this amount is
as low as $12,708 per student in Turkey.

According to the report, the main reason Turkey has fallen behind in
English-language learning is that compulsory lessons begin at age 10.
However, in other countries where English-language proficiency is
high, students start to learn English when they first start school. In
addition, only basic English skills are tested on high-school entry
exams, and students do not go through a year where they only learn
English before starting their studies in state universities. Until
2005, all state university students had to go through a year-long
English-language learning course before they started their degree, and
this is still the case in a few private universities.

Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark -- where students
learn English from ages 6 to 15 -- take the top spot in
English-language proficiency, and these countries spend around $80,000
per student on education. However, the ranking of Switzerland, which
lies 11th among the 44 countries and spends $104,352 per student,
shows that a high amount of money spent on education does not
necessarily improve the general proficiency in English; Poland is 10th
on the list and spends $39,964 per student on education.


http://www.todayszaman.com/news-271952-study-shows-english-language-proficiency-low-in-state-schools.html
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