Because of the large number of Chinese workers seeking promotion who did not show up on Saturday for the yearly English test, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China announced on Friday a new policy.
The committee removed the requirement of passing the English language test for employees to be promoted in technical and professional fields. The policy was put in place in the 1990s to encourage Chinese to study English and allow them to take part in more international exchanges and cooperation.
However, the test continues to scare locals more than 20 years since the exam became a requirement for higher positions such as lawyers, accountants, researchers, college teachers, translators, news reporters and editors. In Sichuan Province, 17 percent, or over 10,000 examinees, did not show up for the test, reported China Daily.
The test placed at a disadvantage older employees who studied during the time when English was not yet taught in Chinese schools. Even younger, but talented workers, who were not that proficient in English failed to advance further in their careers because of the requirement.
“Many of my students were in their 40s and 50s and didn’t have the ability or opportunity to learn English when they were young. They are excellent and rich in experience relevant to their professions, but they are unable to get higher titles, only because they didn’t pass this exam,” said Yu Ha, a teacher at New Oriental Education & Technology Group. The institution trains Chinese workers to take the test.
The value of learning English language was highlighted recently in China when thousands of runners at the Qingyuan Marathon suffered injuries because they ate a giveaway soap that smelled like grapes. The package had labels in English only that it is soap, but because of the fragrance, some runners mistook it for energy food and ate the soap.
The new policy is part of China’s de-emphasizing English language skills. In October 2013, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education said it planned to reduce the English section of the Gaokao, China’s college admission test, to 100 points from 150 points in major cities by 2016, according to Xinhua News Agency.