Survey shows local teenagers lack foreign language proficiency

Research conducted recently by the Macao Youth Federation on the subject of the development and competitiveness of local youths indicates that the city desperately needs to strengthen its foreign-language education for teenagers, especially taking into account the city’s strategic role as a world travel and leisure center, and a bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
According to the survey, which was circulated among 1,225 local youths aged between 13 and 29, only 66 percent of those surveyed are proficient in English, while less than one percent are proficient in Portuguese. Chan Iat Peng, one of the representatives from the Federation who was present at the press conference on Saturday, suggested that the SAR government should create more foreign-language learning opportunities – such as organizing more language training and exchanges for young people – in order to enhance Macau citizens’ linguistic capabilities.
The Federation also proposed the establishment of an assessment mechanism for foreign-language teachers, which they believed could “boost” and “unify” professionalism among the teachers.
The research revealed that only 24 percent of the respondents were professional certificate-holders, regardless of their fields of study, while more than half of them had not attained any certification. The remaining 11 percent are currently undertaking professional courses.
Responding to the growing demand for professional recognition in the job market, the representative from the federation also urged the government to devise a time-frame for introducing a professional accreditation system in the city. In recent years, the topic of establishing such systems in various fields has provoked heated discussion, but has drawn mixed opinions from the public. This has made it difficult to reach a consensus on a potential system’s implementation.