Should English test be removed from China’s college entrance exam?

At the annual meeting of the Chinese National Assembly, Mr. Xu Jin, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Jiufen Commune, made the above proposal. This is not the first time this comment has appeared.

“In the period of compulsory education, English and other foreign languages ​​should not be considered as the main subject along with Chinese and mathematics. English should also be removed from the list of compulsory subjects in the university entrance exam “- quoted Mr. Xu.

He believes that the amount of time students spend learning English will not lead to adequate results in future employment. According to Mr. Xu, English lessons account for about 10% of students’ total study hours, but English is only useful for less than 10% of university graduates.

Instead, the legislator argues that translation-capable smart devices can provide professional translation services, compete and solve more problems than the goal of teaching English through. All compulsory education programs. Translation is one of the first professions to be wiped out in the era of artificial intelligence, Xu said.

Should English test be removed from China’s college entrance exam?
A Chinese lawmaker proposed to remove English from the list of required subjects. Artwork: Xinhua News Agency

Many people agree that Chinese students spend a lot of time learning English but don’t really use the language in their lives and suggest that this should only be an elective.

An online poll found that most people agree with English as a core subject because they believe it is necessary to participate in global competition. Meanwhile, a few others supported Mr. Xu’s proposal for wanting to spend more time learning Chinese and culture.

Shen Yi, a professor at Fudan University’s School of International Relations and Public Affairs, the assessment of English learning is not a simple matter of compulsory education, but part of China’s open-door policy and support for globalization. English is a basic skill for Chinese people to engage and convey messages, ideas and technology from China to the world.

Speaking to the Global Times, Mr. Shen said that those who wanted to remove English from the list of compulsory subjects exhibited narrow populism. In the long run, it will lead to inequality in education and ultimately class division.

Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Educational Research Institute in Beijing, believes that the proposal is unlikely to be approved by the Chinese authorities. He said an important way to improve the country’s education is to reform college entrance exams, turning it into a more diverse assessment mechanism.

Sourcekenh14

Must Read

MAGAZINE