据英国媒体报道，英国文化协会日前发布了中国、印度两国英语教学研究报告。这份报告名为"Demand for English Language Services in China and India"，分析了两国英语教学的现状，并为英国ELT产业在中国和印度的发展指明了方向。
THE British Council released a new research report on the growth of English language teaching (ELT) markets in India and China to single out the opportunities and challenges for the UK ELT industry, the Guardian Weekly has reported.
Previous research has suggested that, in coming years, the ELT market is expected to encompass two billion learners worldwide. The British Council’s latest report, "Demand for English Language Services in India and China", estimates the learning population in India alone at nearly 250 million people, with a further 300 million in China. As development spreads from major cities, the demand for English in the two countries is intensifying.
In India, proficiency in English is widely perceived as an important avenue to higher education and employment. While English is taught in all schools, the latest findings demonstrate that it may not be taught "well" due to out-of-date teaching materials, old-fashioned teaching methods and emphasis on passing tests rather than real understanding. This presents real opportunities for UK organizations to help the teaching of English in Indian schools through working with universities and school boards to improve course materials and teaching methods, as well as offering teacher training, including the latest teaching techniques and communicative language training.
The report reached the conclusion that English is increasingly seen as a "must have" in China. The reality is that progress in English has been patchy because of the uneven abilities of teachers. The shortage of qualified teachers of English has created a bottleneck in demand, but it provides the biggest opportunity for UK providers. David Graddol, a British applied linguist, suggested that China should increase teaching capacity in the short term.
Martin Davidson, chief executive of the British Council, said: "The demand for English language learning is huge and continues to grow, and with an estimated 550 million learners in India and China alone, meeting this demand is beyond the means of any one organization. The UK must respond to this growing demand, but in a way that looks to the future and lays the ground for long-term sustainable partnerships in learning with other countries."
