On proficiency in English

I agree with Aloysius Haryono that all children should have a better opportunity to learn English at school regardless of income.

Could I suggest a different sort of tax for "native speaker" teachers -- one that would not be passed on to the customers of the language school (as the present "foreigners' tax" inevitably will be)?

Require all "native speaker" teachers to work in state schools free for a fixed number of hours a week as a condition of their work permit.

Since this will probably only help schools in Jakarta, each language school employing expatriate native speakers should be required to second them periodically to government service in rural and outlying areas, salaries paid by the language school, of course.

I would be interested in the views of your readers. Perhaps positive constructive comments could also be e-mailed to me at rafiq@uninet.net.id.

RAFIQ MAHMOOD

Tangerang, West Java