Shunde in south China's Guangdong Province will soon send a group of 53 teachers to Britain to improve their English. This is the first time that a county-level city sends teachers abroad at a large scale.
According to a report of China News Service, the teachers are strictly selected from primary and middle schools as well as teachers' schools. They will be divided into two teams to study in Oxford or Hastings for three months, and their lessons will focus on oral English. During their stay in Britain, the teachers will live with British families to ensure a total English learning environment.
A person in charge of the Education Commission of Shunde said the city attached great importance to English teaching. Each year, there is a class to train English teachers through total immersion. Also, native English speakers are invited to teach in Shunde schools. Beginning from 2001, teachers will be sent regularly to foreign countries each year.
(CIIC 04/06/2001)
