A Chinese professor's blunt criticism of what he believes is an excessive craze for learning English has sparked heated debate among the public.
People's mania for English learning has wasted education resources and threatened the study of Chinese, said Zhang Shuhua, dean of the information and intelligence institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Zhang made the remarks at a meeting during the annual session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body, which closed on Tuesday.
His outspoken words have triggered intense online discussion, with nearly 90,000 comments posted on the topic by 9 p.m. Thursday on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
The subject of English has been listed as indispensable by college and postgraduate entrance exams in China, no matter what majors candidates are applying for.
"The learning of English, a compulsory course for college students, has distracted much of their attention from specialized subjects," said Zhang, adding that many applicants have been denied access to postgraduate education only because of their failed English test.
Source Xinhua
