First of all, I'd like to thank Mr. Essam for this great suggestion. This forum is the right place for free discussion among teachers . I think this post should be sticky so that it won't be displaced by more recently posted items. Thank you again, Mr. Essam
Despite the importance of teaching English in our schools, the reality of English teaching in Egypt is incredibly shocking. It is true that the new English syllabuses are somewhat good. But a serious problem remains. In my humble opinion, all attempts and efforts made to raise the standard of English teaching in Egypt will meet with failure until we raise the standards of our teachers of English. How can we ask a teacher to develop in his students the ability to use the language communicatively and creatively when he or she is unable to form even one correct sentence? This is the awful truth, however much we try to ignore it by burying our heads in the sand just like ostriches.
Am I exaggerating? Unfortunately not. Even when we do have good teachers, they are often faced with difficulties and obstacles such as crowded classes and lack of facilities, which finally bring about complete failure. Moreover, the purpose of teaching a foreign language is, in most cases, to prepare students for the final exam, hence attention is only given to the written aspects of the language. Speaking, listening and pronunciation are regrettably ignored. Gentlemen, the painful fact is that we are now teaching English the same way we teach biology or history. The expected outcome will be deplorable