The failure to restructure/redesign English education last few years cast uncertainties in how to teach English in Japan.
“The education ministry [in Japan] originally envisaged outsourcing the English component of the test to the private sector, which it was believed would have the know-how to assess the four foundational language skills of reading, listening, writing and speaking.”
“In order to depart from this book-learning approach, the education ministry’s advisory council in 2014 called for the university entrance exam to assess all four foundational skills in the hopes that doing so would help the next generation to use English more proactively in the age of globalization.”
Unfortunately, both of the initiatives above failed.
