I know the title sounds presumptuous, but lately, I am beset with this biting thought.
Our academia is full of 'professionals' who got up one fine morning and decided that they would become English teachers. They get a certificate (they call it a 'license') to teach English from one of the many hundred thousand universities that are ready to provide such, and ready they are -- to teach English. Often, they are 'native' speakers of English which gives them an undocumented acceptance as wonderful 'users' of English. And it is assumed in the next moment that since they can 'use' the language being a native, they must be able to 'teach' it too.
So we have such teachers in classrooms who mess up everyday. Another equally alarming situation is with some universities issuing Master's degree and Ph.Ds wholesale just to equip their students get jobs in the market. They are chiefly from India, I have noticed.
Indian universities mass produce higher degrees and these 'degree holders' hurry overseas to grab teaching positions. One of their popular choices has been the Middle east. We have Doctors in English, who, and that is not a tinge of overstatement, can't produce verbally or in writing a single sentence in English, and are employed in higher positions. Of course, 'scholars' in the Middle east most often fail to judge the actual merit of their recruits being primarily dazzled by their 400 page theses, which is, needless to say, just a careful work of copy and paste.
Such graduates and employees, being shockingly below the salt of many, recklessly try to 'publish' articles (!) too, to cement their positions in the Department. To that end, they often display boldness and audacity to the extent of being foolhardy, and opt for a new 'international' 'journal', with no accreditation or citation records, and then friends just get together and publish bullshits with concocted data.
The objective of this write-up is not to scandalize graduates of any particular country or demean the profession of English language teaching. This is an account fully observed and experienced first hand.
Now, what to do with such 'professional' teachers (or is it 'cheaters'?)? This is probably none of anyone's business if any organization willingly employs such individuals. But the problem arises when these disturbing 'elements' unite and, out of jealousy and inferiority-complex', try to corner the good, sober and learned faculty members (not necessarily like me)
The native speakers and degree holders from 'reputed'(!) universities are worsening the teaching scenarios of today. And there seems to be no way out of this situation.
Our academia is full of 'professionals' who got up one fine morning and decided that they would become English teachers. They get a certificate (they call it a 'license') to teach English from one of the many hundred thousand universities that are ready to provide such, and ready they are -- to teach English. Often, they are 'native' speakers of English which gives them an undocumented acceptance as wonderful 'users' of English. And it is assumed in the next moment that since they can 'use' the language being a native, they must be able to 'teach' it too.
So we have such teachers in classrooms who mess up everyday. Another equally alarming situation is with some universities issuing Master's degree and Ph.Ds wholesale just to equip their students get jobs in the market. They are chiefly from India, I have noticed.
Indian universities mass produce higher degrees and these 'degree holders' hurry overseas to grab teaching positions. One of their popular choices has been the Middle east. We have Doctors in English, who, and that is not a tinge of overstatement, can't produce verbally or in writing a single sentence in English, and are employed in higher positions. Of course, 'scholars' in the Middle east most often fail to judge the actual merit of their recruits being primarily dazzled by their 400 page theses, which is, needless to say, just a careful work of copy and paste.
Such graduates and employees, being shockingly below the salt of many, recklessly try to 'publish' articles (!) too, to cement their positions in the Department. To that end, they often display boldness and audacity to the extent of being foolhardy, and opt for a new 'international' 'journal', with no accreditation or citation records, and then friends just get together and publish bullshits with concocted data.
The objective of this write-up is not to scandalize graduates of any particular country or demean the profession of English language teaching. This is an account fully observed and experienced first hand.
Now, what to do with such 'professional' teachers (or is it 'cheaters'?)? This is probably none of anyone's business if any organization willingly employs such individuals. But the problem arises when these disturbing 'elements' unite and, out of jealousy and inferiority-complex', try to corner the good, sober and learned faculty members (not necessarily like me)
The native speakers and degree holders from 'reputed'(!) universities are worsening the teaching scenarios of today. And there seems to be no way out of this situation.
