English Toolbox Tips

Polish intellectuals, politicians, artists and celebrities have put their names to an open letter appealing to their prime minister, Donald Tusk, to reinstate a policy to teach English from the first year of primary school.

The letter was prompted by the government's surprise decision to go back on its plan to introduce English language teaching in all schools from September.

One of the signatories, Polish MEP Konrad Szymanski, told Polskie Radio: "Compulsory English education in elementary schools is the best way to popularize this language. If Poland wants to be involved in the mainstream, common knowledge of English is a basic factor."

The radio station quoted former president Lech Walesa as saying: "I had no chance to learn English and I still feel hampered by it."

Instead of making English compulsory, the education ministry now wants schools to choose which modern languages to teach.

The ministry argues that in some regions of the country Russian or German would be more useful than English.

Labels: EFL, teaching English, TEFL

// posted by English Toolbox Co. @ 3:47 PM