'The world for sick proper'

Abstract

Should we continue to teach English to great numbers of children who then believe that they are entitled to a ‘better’ future? It may be dishonest to do this. Only a small percentage of English learners will ever use English for international communication. Very few school leavers actually need English for tertiary studies overseas. English is not the only means of access to Western development and ‘progress’; it may not even be the best means. A lot of English is taught, but not enough is learned. University teachers throughout the world complain about their students' lack of skills in English. This article explores the arguments for and against teaching English on a wide scale at secondary-school levels and below, and suggests some of the questions that course organizers and teachers should be asking themselves.

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