As I travel through the different countries in Asia, I realize that Asia is amazingly diverse. Yet there seems to be a common thread that runs through the different countries, in spite of their different cultures and levels of development. And that is the fact that in almost every Asian country there is a desire to learn English. This desire is both top-down and down-up, ie, it is a desire of the leaders for their people and a desire of the people to their leaders. In other words, it is a real desire that seems to be printed on the minds and hearts of this generation of Asians.
I grew up at a time when most Asian countries were determined to promote their national languages, at the expense of the language of their colonial masters. Today, even the most nationalist Asian country is determined to promote the use of English.
I grew up in a time when being a doctor meant that one would be welcome into almost any Asian country to serve the poor. Today, my medical degree will not allow me to practise medicine in almost every Asian country – thanks to Asian medical authorities protecting their professional “turf.” However, today an English teacher (especially one that is a “native-speaker”) will easily find a job in almost any Asian country. Thankfully, the term “native-speaker” is being expanded to sometimes include Singaporeans, Filipinos and Indians.
While most Asian countries include English as a subject (often a compulsory subject) into their national curricula, the reality is that almost every Asian country does not have enough competent teachers. In fact, in my experience most English teachers in Asia can hardly string a grammatical sentence together or carry out even a basic conversation. In other words, almost every Asian country needs help – and they know it and are not ashamed of it! More importantly, many Asians realize that the ability to speak English is often the passport to a better job.
Ironically, it is often the poor who need to learn English to survive rather than the rich because the poor often have to find work in factories owned by foreigners, or work in service industries serving foreigners or even work as domestic helpers where English is the “common” language. In fact, for many poor Asians knowing English is often the only way out of poverty because with their own people they might need “connections” to get a job but with foreigners all they need is an ability to speak English.
Goducate believes that teaching English is one of the best ways to help poor Asians help themselves.