TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. founder Ren Zhengfei (任正非) has opposed boycotts of English classes, saying knowledge of the language was essential for better job opportunities, reports said Friday (Sept. 23).
Amid rising nationalism and disputes with the United States, some Chinese have advocated a rejection of English language classes. Even though his company has been a target of U.S. sanctions, the founder of smartphone maker Huawei said Chinese still needed to learn the language.
A child from a farming village will always remain a farmer if he doesn’t learn English, Hong Kong news website hk01.com quoted the tycoon as saying. Ren’s comments come amid a plea for more diverse education, allowing young talent to emerge and help the country’s development.
He said that any person not learning English now, would find it hard later on to find a decent job. Without English and mathematics, it would be impossible to join a high-level company, Ren said.
While the tycoon acknowledged it might be difficult learning English in remote areas, he said that even if one’s accent was not perfect, being able to read and understand English texts would be an achievement.
Ren called for a diversification of the school system, with good schools functioning as an online platform. He also advocated smaller classes for 20 students each, and higher wages for teachers.
