Do Foreign Teachers Really Teach Better?

This article was written by Teng Sue-feng, translated by Josh Aguiar, and published by The Sinorama Magazine in May 2003.

As globalization continues its relent-less advance, Asia's already sweltering English fever keeps burning hotter and hotter. In South Korea and Japan, English has sunken its roots deep into the heart of childhood, with children now commencing studies from the first year of elementary school. In Mainland China, admission to the World Trade Organization and the successful bid to host the 2008 Olympics have touched off an English craze that has everyone from toddlers to adults studying their ABC's assiduously.

Not wishing to be outdone, Taiwan has caught the English fever, as well. In addition to extending the English language curriculum to the elementary school level, Taiwan is preparing to take things up another notch by employing teachers from abroad to teach children to speak "authentic" English. However, when the Ministry of Education (MOE) unveiled its plans to "import" 1000 foreign English-language instructors, it was as though a bomb had detonated. Suddenly, all of society was in an uproar. Many concede that improving the quality of English language education in elementary and middle schools is an urgent matter, but are nevertheless reluctant to turn abroad for the solution. Perhaps the real question to ask is: Why is it still so difficult to produce an adequate number of qualified teachers despite the many channels one can use to attain English teaching credentials nowadays?