On December 24, 2005, some 5.3 million Chinese students sat for
the College English Test, Bands 4 and 6, yet another strong
indication that the business of English is well and truly catching
on in China, to the pleasure of many who profit from it. But have
things gone a little too far?
The study of English as an important subject of learning is not
new in China. On November 28, 2005, activities were organized to
mark the 90th birth anniversary of Xu Guozhang, one of China's most
famous English educators and linguists.
While little has changed in terms of the importance placed on
the study of English, much has changed as far as teaching methods
and the pursuit for profit.
English as a business only made its indelible mark in China in
the 1990s. Li Yang, described by Asiaweek as "China's most
successful English teacher and a pop-cult figure" ("Pumping Up the
Volume", July 30, 1999), is one of those who changed the face of
English instruction.
According to a December 2005 issue of Oriental Outlook,
Li is more a down-to-earth businessman than a passionate idealist,
although he still doggedly promotes his "crazy" teaching model.
Once a shy and introverted youngster, Li claims to have discovered
a unique way to learn English after he failed an English exam in Lanzhou
University. "Read out loud" and "Don't be afraid to lose face"
are his more popular slogans. The result is students repeatedly
screaming out English words and phrases during lessons; hence the
term "crazy English" or "feng kuang ying yu" in Chinese.
Driven by the profitable prospect of helping 300 million Chinese
people to speak excellent English, Li founded the Li Yang Crazy
English Studio in 1994. His Crazy English methods have been
embraced by over 20 million people in over 100 cities of China.
His lecture tours are likened to rock concerts. "He's like a
rock star on the stage, and we're like fans who are inspired to
shout English out loud," a part-time teacher told Oriental
Outlook, but she admitted "we don't speak English like that in
our everyday life."
Copycats soon followed, and some even more "crazy" than Li.
David Specchio, an English teacher, and 30 Chinese students
participated in what was described as a record-breaking "world's
longest lesson," which began at 10:00 AM on September 9, 2005 and
ended 72 hours later. The stunt was performed at the English First
Training School in Shanghai. A doctor was onsite to ensure the
physical well-being of the students. Also present were two
independent monitors who logged the event, which will be validated
by the Guinness Book of World Records. Participants were given a
15-minute break from their class every eight hours, and ate high
carbohydrate foods like rice, vegetables and fruit. They reportedly
completed three months worth of English lessons.
That the Chinese are "crazy" about English is not an
overstatement. A report co-published by Sina.com, zexiao.com and
China Radio International last January showed that there were more
than 50,000 training institutes in the country. The report also
found that the domestic English training market value hit 15
billion yuan by 2004, predicting a rise to 30 billion yuan by
2010.?
As more Chinese people go abroad and more foreigners come to
China for business, English has become even more important in
recent times. To the Chinese, a working knowledge of English is a
passport to graduation, the key to overseas study, and a decent job
in a foreign enterprise.
Under China's national education system, English is taught in
primary schools from the third grade, with numerous examinations
along the way, whether as part of vocational training or selection
for government-sponsored overseas study.
In addition, the private sector has put a premium on English,
with many service industries insisting on some English skills from
employees be they taxi drivers or hotel staff.
Of the various proficiency tests, the most influential are the
College English Test Bands 4 and 6 (CET-4 and CET-6 respectively),
administered by the Ministry of
Education.
Millions sit these tests every year.
Before the system was reformed last February, the CET-4 and
CET-6 were two of the most important tests a student of English
could sit. A university undergraduate had to pass the CET-4 in
order to obtain a bachelor's degree, or the CET-6 for a double or
master's degree. CET-6 was important for Chinese companies hunting
for talent. Whether or not the person would ever use English again
either in his personal or professional life was beside the
point.
This gave rise to a huge cheat market where test questions were
leaked over the Internet for a fee, or where whole test papers
could be purchased online.?
In February 2005, Wu Qidi, vice minister of education, announced
that the tests were voluntary and were not to be used as conditions
for graduation.
But 16 of Beijing's universities felt differently. Tan Yuzhi,
vice director of educational administration of China
Agriculture University, said in an interview with Beijing
Star Daily that proficiency testing will encourage the
development of English education in schools, while most companies
still consider good CET-4 or 6 test scores as a necessary gauge of
their future employees' potential.
And so the business of English continues to flourish.
Institutes offer training for major international proficiency
and qualifications tests including SAT, GRE (Graduate Record
Examinations), GMAT (General Management Admission Test), TOEFL
(Test of English as a Foreign Language) and IELTS (International
English Language Testing System), with TOEFL and GRE growing in
popularity since the United States loosened its visa policy in
2004, allowing 26 percent more Chinese students into the
country.
Three key players dominate the English training industry: the
traditional institutes that are offshoots of the universities;
foreign ventures including English First, and Wall Street English;
domestic schools such as New Oriental, New Channel, and Li Yang's
Crazy English.
These players target different sectors of society. Wall Street
English, for example, charges students 7,000 yuan for each of its
17 grades of the training process.
English is undoubtedly big business. New Oriental reportedly
made a profit of 700 million yuan in 2005. In addition to training,
the publication of teaching materials is also a soaring trade. The
Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press reported sales of over
1 billion yuan in 2005.
But quite aside from the millions to be made in the English
market, questions have been raised as to the reasons why English is
so popular. Is it the love of the language and a thirst for
learning, or is it really only to pass exams and get good jobs?
Further, doubts have been raised as to whether the training
provided by institutes actually teaches English or merely
examination skills.
Hu Min, president of New Channel School, highlighted three major
challenges facing China's English training market: a lack of
innovative and creative textbooks developed domestically; a lack of
specialists who really know about administration and training; and
a need for institutes to develop alongside changing proficiency and
recruitment policies.
But for the moment, people continue to make money from the
teaching of English; business owners, teachers and students.
"Everyone's happy," said Zhou Wen, the owner of a small training
institute.
(China.org.cn by Zhang Rui January 10, 2006)
