Foreign teachers at private English language schools<\/p>\n
By Robert Shepherd<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In his recent articles on the business of
\nEnglish language training in Indonesia, John Phillips raises a
\nnumber of interesting questions.<\/p>\n
He rightfully laments the lack of quality instruction in many
\nprivate English language schools, especially in regard to the use
\nand misuse of so-called "foreign experts". Too often, as he
\npoints out, they are unqualified backpackers who happen to have
\nbeen born with white skin.<\/p>\n
He is right on the money with his complaints about language
\nschools owned and operated by shifty businessmen for whom profit,
\nand not education, is the overriding concern. And he correctly
\nillustrates the discrimination faced by qualified local teachers.<\/p>\n
But some of the questions he raises leave me somewhat
\nperplexed. To begin with, just how serious an issue is this?<\/p>\n
Yes, a great many of the larger and more expensive private
\nlanguage schools on Java and elsewhere in Indonesia employ
\nforeign teachers. But take a walk through any town or city on
\nJava and what will you see? Countless foreign language
\n'academies', 'institutes' and 'colleges', often doubling as
\ncomputer training centers, few of which employ foreigners. In
\nfact, I would be interested to know just how many Indonesian
\nlanguage schools employ foreigners, legally or illegally. I
\nsuspect it is far less than a majority.<\/p>\n
Who, then, studies at those schools which do employ foreign
\nteachers? As any foreign teacher will tell you, most students are
\ndrawn from two groups: the Chinese Indonesian business class and
\nwealthy bumiputera (to borrow the Malaysian term).<\/p>\n
We can further sub-divide the latter into business and bupati
\nclasses. Possessing as they do a culture which stresses the
\nimportance of education, Chinese Indonesians are quite willing to
\npay a premium for what is perceived to be 'quality' English
\nlanguage instruction, while for many upper-class Indonesians,
\nparticularly the young, the study of English is one more fashion
\ntrend, as is Bon Jovi, Pierre Cardin and the Hard Rock Cafe.<\/p>\n
Phillips asks if "Indonesia as a country can afford to waste
\nsuch resources on select individuals or groups who can afford to
\npay?"<\/p>\n
I would argue that in a free-market economy the question is
\nmoot. Indonesia as a country does not waste resources on
\neducating select individuals at private language schools, select
\nindividuals choose to dispose of their own resources at these
\nschools.<\/p>\n
How these individuals have accumulated their resources and
\nwhether these language schools are of any real value are
\ncompletely different questions. Phillips further asks how "all
\nIndonesians can benefit from having foreign 'experts'?" As
\nsomeone who has spent the last decade working in the development
\nfield throughout Asia, I can only reply: and if we all had wings
\nwe could fly to the moon.<\/p>\n
English language instruction is no different than any other
\nfield in which foreign "experts" are employed. No matter the
\nfield, these "experts" usually turn out to be very average people
\nwho have had the good fortune to be born and educated in a
\nwealthy, industrialized country. It gives them the opportunity to
\nlive a privileged life in a less-developed country -- complete
\nwith better housing and higher salaries than their local
\ncolleagues. As the British say about Hong Kong, "Failed in
\nLondon, try Hong Kong". Are any foreign "experts" of value to
\nIndonesians as a whole?<\/p>\n
As to what to do about the language school problems pointed
\nout by Phillips -- low-quality foreign teachers, unethical
\nbusiness practices and salary discrimination against local
\nteachers -- the answer is: nothing. Free market forces will
\neventually take care of these problems.<\/p>\n
This is illustrated by looking at the state of English
\nlanguage teaching in other Asian countries. Twenty years ago, the
\nsituation in Japan was quite similar to that of Indonesia today.
\nYet today, the quality of foreign language instruction is much
\nhigher in Japan. No longer can backpackers get off a plane and
\nfind a job teaching.<\/p>\n
The situation is similar in Singapore, Hong Kong and South
\nKorea. From my own experience as a university teacher in Taiwan I
\nobserved this trend beginning to take hold. Why? Because over-all
\neconomic development in these countries has created a more savvy
\nand self-confident consumer class which values "quality" over
\nfashion.<\/p>\n
In response to this heightened consumer demand, government
\nwork visa requirements have been tightened, school management has
\nbecome more professional and unqualified foreign teachers are
\nmuch less common than in the past. Salary differences between
\nnative and non-native teachers no doubt still exist, but I wonder
\nif this is not the same in any country. For example, who is paid
\nbetter in an American or British private language school
\nteaching, say, French: a native French speaker or an American? I
\nsuspect the former.<\/p>\n
In summary, Phillips is absolutely correct: Indonesians who
\nstudy at English language schools employing foreign teachers are,
\ntoo often, being hoodwinked. They pay a great deal of money for
\nnothing more than white skin. But until they are no longer
\nwilling to do this -- that is, until the actual learning of
\nEnglish becomes more highly valued than the opportunities for
\nsocializing and entertainment that these schools present -- the
\nbackpackers and drifters of the white world will continue to
\ndescend on Indonesia.<\/p>\n
For, like Japan of the 1970s or South Korea of the 1980s,
\nteaching in many of these schools is secondary to entertaining. I
\nwould argue that this is partly why so many Indonesians
\nexplicitly value a bule teacher over an Indonesian; the bule, or
\nforeigner, is good fun. Of course, there are many legitimate
\nEnglish language schools which employ well-qualified foreign
\nteachers. But for most students, they get what they pay for.<\/p>\n
To observe real teaching, drop by any of the countless small
\nlanguage schools which do not employ foreign teachers. The
\nquality may vary greatly, but the Indonesian teachers staffing
\nthese schools share one trait: they are serious about teaching.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/foreign-teachers-at-private-english-language-schools-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}