[Credit: Xi’an Jiaotong University image posted on its website en.xjtu.edu.cn]
Xi'an (Shaanxi): A decision by one among the top 5% of universities in China to scrap English language test as requirement for admission has opened Pandora’s Box.
As is the case in most of the universities of the world, in Chinese universities too passing an English language test was prerequisite for admission in first year.
But, Xi’an Jiaotong University, one of the top universities in China, scrapped the compulsory English test for admission.
The university, located in Xi'an - in the capital city of Shaanxi province, nonethless, said that English courses based on CET requirements will remain on the curriculum.
The Xi’an Jiaotong University’s decision opened a floodgate of demands with many Chinese now asking other universities of the country to follow suit.
“Very good. I hope other universities will follow suit. It’s ridiculous that Chinese people’s academic degrees need to be validated by a foreign language (test),” said a comment posted on Weibo - the Chinese equivalent of microblogging site X originally launched as Twitter.
The post on Weibo received more than 24,000 likes whereas a related hashtag attracted more than 350 million views Thursday, according to CNN.
In recent years, some other universities too had downgraded the importance of English, either by replacing the national College English Test with their own exams or – as in the case of the Xi’an Jiaotong University – dropping English qualifications altogether as a graduation criteria.
“English is important, but as China develops, English is no longer that important,” said a Weibo post from a nationalist influencer with 6 million online followers after the university’s announcement.
“It should be the turn for foreigners to learn Chinese,” the influencer said.
Yu Xiaoyu, a linguistics expert at the University of Hong Kong, meanwhile cautioned against the move to reduce English language requirements.
He argued that proficiency in one of the world’s most-spoken languages is an advantage in the employment market.
“What hasn’t changed is that much of the job market for university graduates still considers English to be beneficial, so there’s a high chance that students with higher English proficiency, especially those who can prove it, will come across more opportunities,” Yu said, according to the South China Morning Post.
Yu also stated his belief that the current CET curriculum does require reform.
"It is possible, for a student to score highly in the test without being able to suitably communicate in English", he said adding, “We shouldn’t interpret the university’s decision as a sign that they’re attaching less importance to the English language.”
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