English is the most commonly used language in the entire world, thus the need to learn the language has grown noticeably over the years. Many countries who don’t speak English as their native language makes learning how to speak English a part of their educational system. It is the language of globalization: an outside nation’s means of communicating with the rest of the world.
That makes the demand for English teachers a focal point in the educational system of some foreign countries. A handful of nations who doesn’t speak English are now learning it in order to remain globally competitive and improve global relations. They make it a point to have English as part of their educational programs, so that their people can learn it and use it in order to communicate with people outside of their country (Palmberg).
This growing need, however, does not translate into a better quality of teaching of the language. On the contrary, the quality of teaching English has declined, and the standards for teaching the language have often been lowered just to be able to meet the demands for english teachers (Thanasoulas). People are learning the language at a very poor quality, which only serves more as a disadvantage to them. Because their lack of mastery of in speaking English falls in comparison to those who can speak and write it fluently and properly.
Part of the reason for the decline of the quality of teaching English could be due to its ever increasing demand. As the demand for English teachers continuously increases, more and more institutions are lowering their hiring standards just to be able to meet this demand. That would mean that they are settling for teachers who are insufficiently qualified to teach their students, which results in lower quality of learning. Another reason would be because the standard itself of learning English is lowered. Some would settle for learning just the basics of the language, instead of mastering it. As a result, more and more students are deprived of higher learning, and are forced to settle with mediocre and incapable teachers.
Students should not have to be subjected to this lowering of standards. It is every student’s right to be able to atttain the highest form of education from their respective schools, no matter what the subject of learning it may be. In learning English, they should be taught the proper usage of the language, and not be deprived of learning it the right way. They should not have to deal with teachers who are not qualified to properly educate them.
Educational Institutions, in relation, should see to it that they provide the highest quality of education for their students. They must provide their students with the best possible teachers that they could acquire in order to asssure a high quality of learning. They should not settle for ill-qualified teachers who do not have a mastery of the subject that they are trying to teach. It would not benefit them to hire teachers just to meet the demands, rather they should focus on hiring the best candidates to teach English to their students.
To conclude, hiring English teachers who are not highly qualified for the job should not be the solution for the ever increasing demand for teachers. The standards for teaching should be met at all costs, and should not be diminished in any way. The English language has to be learned properly, so that those who wish to learn it would be on par with those who have already mastered it.
Works Cited
Palmberg, Rolf. “Websites for Language Teachers.” EnglishClub.com (2008). Retrieved 29 May 2008 from http://www.englishclub.com/tefl-articles/gateways.htm
Thanasoulas, Dimitrios. “The Cultural Dynamics of Teaching.” EnglishClub.com (2008). Retrieved 29 May 2008 from http://www.englishclub.com/tefl-articles/cultural- dynamics-teaching.htm
