Should Japanese Children Learn English?

Have you had compulsory English classes when you were an elementary student? I think your answer is “No”. Today, most elementary schools have compulsory English classes or some activities to use English. Do you agree with them? Some people disagree because they are afraid about Japanese ability going down. So, why are English classes compulsory in elementary schools? There are three reasons why children should learn English.

First, children should get used to listening to English. Children get sounds and accents earlier than adults, so they can come to speak English more clearly and rightly. In addition, they can train to pronounce English.

Second, children can know about foreign cultures from ALT. it is good for our country that people are interested in foreign cultures. Therefore, they want children to understand them.

Finally, Japanese are poor at communication because many Japanese people are shy. For example, American children have an ability to make an instant answer. If you ask to them, “What colors do you like the best?” and then, American children say “I like blue.”, but in contrast, many Japanese children can not make an instant answer. They answer like “Ah･･･ I like blue, green and red.”. They are not “best”. Best is only one. Some Japanese who answer like that fail an interview in one level of Eiken’s examination. Non Japanese examiners never overlook that mistake. Communication skills are the most important in the society. Children can enjoy speaking English. There fore, the government wants them to improve their communication skills to use English.

Consequently, children don’t have to learn English like reading, writing, grammar or vocabulary. They should be just active in order to know many important things such as friendliness, initiative and identity by learning English. And, do you agree with their opinion?