English Now the Foreign Language of Schools Abroad

English is hot in many foreign language schools abroad, and as the trend accelerates, so too has debate over the value of English in a global society. English-only countries steadfastly cling to their strong historical connection to imperialism, and monolingualism at the risk of losing their share of the world marketplace. While advocates of English teaching and foreign-language study praise the increasing attention to various programs to teach English, concern is widespread that the efforts are piecemeal or haphazard, or a fad that will wane with changes in governmental leadership. The greatest concern, they say, is the quality and quantity of teachers to carry out those efforts. Many governments see a need and urgency to set up English programs, but no one seems to have figured out how to do it in an efficient way. Public systems are haphazard, and the private sector is often unregulated. For now, the demand for English programs and teachers is growing rapidly world wide. English proficiency is a key educational strategy and is considered a basic skill. In Europe, nearly every country has reported in recent years increasing numbers of students learning English in the early grades.