English not spoken here

English not spoken here

I am responding to Mr. Dady Wijaya's letter The importance of
English (Aug. 4).

Mr. Wijaya, I would join you in deploring the decision to stop
teaching English were it not my unfortunate experience to have
learned this may be the lesser of two evils. Two of my children
have been through the educational system here. The oldest one has
attended Ora et Labora and is currently at Trisakti. The younger
one has been to two BPK Penabur schools and Pembangunan Jaya.

In the case of both of my children, I have been forced to
engage in a fairly fierce battle to excuse them from their
English classes, or in protesting materials and tests which are
grammatically incorrect or worded so abstrusely that they are
impossible to understand. I have gone head to head with the
English teachers, most of whom are anything but competent in
English.

I understand why those Indonesian teachers who have excellent
skills in the language aren't teaching. It is an economic
problem. Frankly, if I were Indonesian, with my level of English,
the last thing I would consider is teaching at the salary levels
offered.

Teachers are ill-prepared because they are too busy dealing
with private students after working hours. They have to do this
to make ends meet. But this is no excuse for the blind leading
the blind. I would rather deal with a zero beginner than a false
beginner any day.

I am currently employed in a pre-departure program for
government sponsored students. All of them are S-1's (university
graduates). They are the end product of English language
instruction through junior and senior high school, as well as
university.

I wish they had never seen the language before they came to
us. You are sorely missed, I am sure. I wish competent people
could afford to teach!

G. MORGAN CHAMBERLIN

Jakarta