Encourage English as an everyday language

I think the majority of Thai people embrace the importance of the English language and understand that it is a vital tool for economic survival in this competitive world of globalisation. But why, in spite of 12 years of compulsory education and possibly four more years at college level, can Thai youths still not use English effectively, unlike their counterparts in Malaysia and Singapore? Two obvious reasons:

First, English is difficult to learn, with so many rules and exceptions that do not make sense. Thais do not see the need to change “go” to “went”. The need for the plural form of countable nouns and subject-verb agreement is not necessary in Thai. Moreover, in Thai we can survive without the use of articles. Why learn something so difficult and time-consuming? This is an attitude problem on the part of learners that teachers of English have to encounter, but it can be done.

Second, assuming that we have a pool of quality teachers, both Thai and native speakers, and our students ace tests, these students still have problems holding on to their precious skills in English. Because the government has no policy to encourage people to use English in everyday life – shopping, eating, exchanging ideas – these skills will sooner or later go. So why master something that finds little use in day-to-day living.

The second reason above is a major obstacle to improving English among the population. The Ministry of Education alone cannot solve this problem. It must be a government policy to encourage Thais to use English from dawn to dusk with attractive incentives. How about a tax break for restaurants to serve customers in English; a 10 per cent discount for Hollywood movies without Thai subtitles; an extra point in promotion for any government official who reads the English-language press regularly and discusses the news in English, for example.

Surapon Vatanavigkit

Bangkok