Advantages in culture, talent and tech will open new doors, experts say
Liu Jun, rector of the City University of Macau, delivers a speech during the 2023 Global English Education China Assembly in Macao. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, blessed with advantages in culture, talent and technology, could open up new horizons for English education in China and even the world, according to leading linguists and educators from the 11-city cluster.
They made the remarks on the sidelines of the 2023 Global English Education China Assembly in Macao.
The high-level, three-day event, which concluded on Sunday, brought together, both online and offline, approximately 1,600 experts, educators, and scholars from 20 countries and regions to share insights and facilitate dialogue in the teaching of English.
This year's conference showcased a special Bay Area teachers' forum, which invited respected teachers and scholars from universities in the Bay Area to exchange opinions on bilingual and multilingual education as well as teacher development.
When discussing bilingual and multilingual education, Liu Jun, rector of the City University of Macau and president of the International Research Foundation for English Language Education, used Macao, the city where he has lived for many years, as a case study.
He pointed out that the city enjoys the advantage of a multilingual environment and is uniquely positioned to develop English language education.
Moreover, as an integral part of the Bay Area, Macao enjoys strong backing from both the central and city governments, creating numerous opportunities to improve its level of English education and capacity, Liu said.
He predicted that English will be widely adopted in various sectors across the city, including tourism and finance, the hosting of cultural and sporting events, the organization of international conferences and the protection of cultural heritage.
To seize these opportunities, Liu said Macao should improve its intercultural communication awareness and skills, and broaden English development for the long term.
Yuan Rui, an associate professor at the Faculty of Education of the University of Macau, echoed Liu's view on the advantages of the city's multilingual environment.
However, Yuan said that being in a multilingual environment can sometimes make students feel anxious or confused, thus pressuring them to conform to dominant language norms or prioritize a certain language, which will in turn weaken the strengths of the multilingual environment. Hence, tailor-made language studies and policies are necessary for different places in order to provide fitting support for students and educators, Yuan said.
Jenifer Ho, assistant professor at the Department of English and Communication at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, highlighted the Bay Area's technological strengths, saying the growing number of tech companies provides an environment conducive to promoting the region as an online language learning hub.
Zhou Sihan, assistant professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the Faculty of Education at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the Bay Area has established several mainland-Hong Kong jointly operated universities and branch campuses of Hong Kong universities in Guangdong province, which enriches the region's English education.
In the opinion of Fang Fan, professor at the College of Liberal Arts at Shantou University in Guangdong, the Bay Area's experience in the multilingual environment could offer a way for educators and students outside the region to enhance their multilingual and multicultural awareness.
This could be achieved through more exchanges and collaborations, Fang said, and suggested new intercollegiate projects for English language educators and students to share their stories of intercultural communication with people from a range of backgrounds.
Wang Chuang, dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Macau, said that learning English nowadays is becoming less about studying a subject and more about acquiring a practical tool for daily communication.
This trend is leading to a rise in the use of English as a medium of instruction, which has been implemented in the Bay Area for many years, he said, adding that the Bay Area's strength in English education makes it a guide and model, not only for the rest of China, but also for other nonnative English-speaking countries around the world.
He noted that language is more than just a means of communication as it is also a reflection of culture.
The Bay Area serves as a buffer zone between East and West, helping to mitigate the frictions that can arise from direct clashes between the two cultures. By promoting English education in the region, the Bay Area plays a significant role in facilitating mutual understanding between East and West, Wang said.
Ma Qing, associate professor in the Department of Linguistics and Modern Language Studies at the Education University of Hong Kong, said the Bay Area's growing economic strength has attracted many highly qualified teachers in recent years.
The stronger teaching force will attract more talented students to the region, which, in turn, will bring in more teachers and create a positive cycle for the development of English education in the Bay Area, Ma said.
Liu Xiaobin, professor at the School of Foreign Studies at South China Normal University in Guangdong, said education talents in the Bay Area enjoy strong backing from the central government, which has formulated specific and practical policies to support cross-boundary cooperation, thus improving teaching standards in the region.
The latest case in point is a pilot program launched in February that allows eligible talents from mainland cities in the Bay Area to travel more frequently to Hong Kong and Macao with longer visits for scientific research and academic exchanges, Liu said.
