Page 9 - ELG1601 Jan Issue 432

ELAsia
January 2016 Page 9

Japan mulls external exams for uni entry

A n overhaul of the Eng-
component
lish
of
35-year-old
Japan’s
National Centre Test for Uni- Matt Salusbury – helped by an official of the education ministry – gives an update on the
versity admissions (sentaa
shaken) – taken by just over work in progress that is Japan’s reformed four-skills English university admissions test
half a million high school stu-
dents annually – is on the cards.
Mext, Japan’s ministry of edu- attempts at reform in English tests for admission office exams, there will be multiple exam dates
cation, is ‘in discussions’ with education in Japan’. general entrance exams … from for the new university admissions
external English test providers, High school students sit exams the standpoint of proper evalua- exam throughout the year.
and there is even the possibility in six subject areas as part of the tion of foreign language’. Mext now recommends that
that external English tests may National Centre Test, adminis- Communicative English, universities ‘consider recognis-
eventually become the norm for tered by an independent body though, has yet to take hold ing external proficiency exams
university entry in Japan. under the supervision of Mext in many Japanese schools. As produced by examination boards
The Japan Times reports that (private-sector high schools tend Yasuda told the Gazette, ‘Teach- in lieu of the English component
a February 2015 Mext survey to set their own exams). Univer- ers in junior high schools are of their entrance exam require-
of English proficiency found sities can choose the number of not ready to teach four skills ments’, and has a working group
‘junior high and high schools test subjects they ask for. in classrooms. That hinders the to oversee the use of external
continue to teach English to Chie Yasuda, head of exami- introduction of four-skills tests.’ English proficiency tests ‘in
pass university entrance exams, nations at the British Council The September 2014 survey place of either the centre test or
instead of working toward stu- Japan, explained: ‘Universities Copyright Matt Salusbury Examination of Possible Conse- the in-house university entrance
dents’ learning functioning have a lot of autonomy, and quences of a New EAP Test by exams’, according to Dunlea.
and creative English. Students issue their own tests for entrance Keita Nakamura of the Eiken Which English tests might
are not getting much practice admissions. Most of the national Foundation (which runs many of eventually feature in the Japanese
in speaking and writing.’ (The universities require students to MEXT STEP A Seoul conference presentation on Mext’s policy on Japan’s English tests) surveyed university admissions system,
test’s listening component was take the National Centre Test four-skills English tests ‘developed by professional exam boards’ thousands of high school stu- then? Araki said that as of Decem-
only introduced in 2006.) first and then shortlist [students] dents, over a hundred university ber 2015 it was too early yet to
The proposed new exam will based on the score. Shortlisted learning and assessment’ in English are to be replaced with students and hundreds of English name any of the external tests
be a four-skills test of English, candidates will take the univer- English in Japan, with little the ‘prospective university teachers from high schools and under consideration, but that
and Shuji Araki, assistant to sities’ own test and are finally transparency on test quality entrant scholastic abilities evalu- universities. The survey showed Mext was now in discussion with
the general manager of Mext’s selected. Recently some uni- data on Japan’s English exams. ation test’ in financial year 2020 an overwhelming proportion of several exam boards about ‘feasi-
Office of University Entrance versities just use the national Dunlea says that the universi- (the name is provisional). The time in English classes was spent bility’ and about how each exam
Examinations, told the Gazette centre test score for admission.’ ties’ in-house entrance tests are new four-skills English test will on reading, followed a long way board delivers its tests. Mext is
he would ‘like to highlight that Most of Japan’s universities are ‘produced by staff with little or have a focus on communication second by speaking. still deliberating on how to work
they are introducing assessing private sector and most of these no formal training in assessment skills. A recent Mext document, In June 2015 an outline with exam boards, including
students’ productive skills in ‘only use their own test’, accord- expertise’. The ‘entrenched On Integrated Reforms in High appeared of what the new uni- whether to create new four skills
writing and speaking’ for the ing to Yasuda, but a number of nature of the examination sys- School and University Education versity entrance exams might tests or customise existing ones.
first time in Japan. He stressed private universities are starting tem made it difficult for single and University Entrance Exami- look like. According to the Japan Dunlea added that one of the
it was all still under discussion, to use the national centre test. institutions to break ranks and nations, stated that its questions Times, questions ‘using long sen- expert bodies set up by Mext is ‘a
and that his comments represent Araki added that some universi- do things differently’. will encourage ‘self-expression’ tences’ will replace the current working group with representa-
an interim report. ties already use external English Dunlea notes that the ‘reform as well as ‘interdisciplinary’ and predominantly multiple-choice tives from major examinations
Jamie Dunlea, senior tests for admission. of the centre test to include all ‘holistic’ skills. tests. ‘Difficult’ questions will be and exam boards, including Ielts,
researcher at the British Coun- Tomoki Matsudaira of the four skills faces huge challenges According to Dunlea, an included for use by those ‘top- Eiken and Cambridge’.
cil’s Assessment Research Eiken Foundation, speaking at in terms of the logistics of test- earlier document, the Five Rec- notch’ universities that currently A report back from Mext
Group, says that these devel- a conference in Seoul attended ing speaking and writing’ and ommendations, stressed that produce their own tests. While is expected at the close of the
opments are ‘a continuation of by the Gazette in October, will be ‘difficult to implement’. Mext would push universities to there’s currently only one oppor- financial year at the end of
a series of fairly long-running described a ‘mismatch between The current test papers for recognise ‘external certification tunity to take the exams each year, March 2016. n

Thailand looks for locals

Matt Salusbury describes a Thai government initiative to reduce

the country’s reliance on overseas English language teachers

total of 500 Thai Eng- Deputy education minister pinos’ (although we should point English tutor’ after the arrest of
lish teachers, all of Teerakiat Jareonsettasin said out that English is an official US national and EFL teacher
A whom will ‘have to be that teachers have already been language and a medium of edu- Thomas Andrew Erickson.
very good in English’, are to selected for training, based on cation in both countries, and is Erickson, wanted in both Thai-
be selected by the ministry of CEFR English tests administered spoken at home by a minority of land and the US for alleged
education to undergo six weeks by the Office of Basic Education families there). It is hoped that if multiple rapes, had taught in
of intensive training in new Commission. The announce- Thai students have among their several Thai schools and set up
methodology and teaching tech- ment came after its survey of compatriots ‘good examples to his own language school there.
niques and how to teach both 43,000 Thai English teachers follow, they will have a posi- He was able to evade detection
written and spoken English. The found that very few achieved tive attitude towards learning for so long by applying under
aim of this upskilling initiative a level close to native-speaker English’, said the minister, who false names using forged US and
is to reduce Thai state schools’ English (C2 on the CEFR) – just pledged that ultimately Thailand British passports, and by only
reliance on ‘expensive’ foreign six teachers according to the will ‘use foreign English teach- holding down any teaching job
English teachers, with ‘almost Post. Some 900 teachers scored ers only as much as necessary’. for a short time (see the Febru-
all schools … hiring foreign a B2 or C1. A standardised English test for ary 2015 Gazette).
teachers for evening classes’, in The fifty top-scoring teach- Thai students and teachers is also And late last summer Minis-
the words of deputy education ers who have been through this in development, with assistance ter Teerakiat urged Thailand’s
minister Teerakiat Charoen- upskilling will be expected to from the British embassy, the school administrators to perform
sethasilpa at the launch of the cascade their training down to British Council and Cambridge ‘vigilant’ background checks
project in November. ‘the next generation of teachers’, English Assessment. The minis- on all foreigners applying for
The intensive training pro- according to The Nation. Phuket try of education expects to have work after the British embassy has
gramme for Thailand’s state EFL News added that the trainees concluded a partnership deal informed Thai authorities that
teachers, to start in April, is sup- must become ‘role models and with leading Thai media con- some UK nationals with known multiple personalities
ported by the British embassy trainers for other English teach- glomerates GMM Grammy and criminal records for child abuse
and the British Council Thailand ers in their schools or schools Poly Plus Entertainment to make crimes had arrived in Thailand – on Facebook it
(which is providing English spe- near their area’. use of popstars who speak fluent to work as teachers.
cialists), reports the Bangkok Thailand ‘cannot rely on English to work to promote this The British embassy then becomes EL Gossip
Post. The Nation newspaper foreign teachers to improve learning among young Thais. advised schools, which tradi-
reported Michael David Selby, our English learning forever’, The chief of the Crime Sup- tionally have responsibility for Like us on
adviser to the deputy minister, as according to Teerakiat, who told pression Division of Thailand’s background checks but often
saying that the British Council the Post that many schools cur- national police force warned lack the resources to do them, to www.facebook.com/
is supplying fifty mentors and rently spend millions of bhat the nation’s English language check the backgrounds of British
trainers for the programme and every year hiring foreign Eng- schools of another hazard of nationals on the UK police’s Acro Englishlanguagegossip
that, following these courses, the lish teachers, mostly expatriate hiring expatriate native speaker website. Some Thai embassies
teachers are to be ‘studied and native speakers. This includes English teachers back in Novem- overseas appear to have already
assessed’ during the 2016 school ‘even cash-strapped schools ber 2014. tightened their requirements for
year to determine whether their that can’t afford to hire native Police colonel Thiradet background checks from appli-
teaching is any better than their speakers’ who still hire what Thamsuthi alerted school prin- cants for work visas as a result of
peers who have not undergone he described as ‘non-native cipals, students and parents to the tip-off (see September 2015
training. speakers like Pakistanis or Fili- the ‘perils’ of ‘hiring a native Gazette, p3). n