Don't Insist on English by Patricia Ryan (2010) [TED Summary]

Patricia Ryan has lived and taught in the Gulf for over 30 years. At that time, Patricia Ryan has seen many changes. The statistics are quite surprising. Patricia Ryan wants to talk about the loss of language and the globalization of English. Patricia Ryan tells of her friend who is teaching adults English in Abu Dhabi. And one day, her friend decided to take them to the garden to teach some nature vocabulary. But she is finally learning all the Arabic words for local plants, as well as their uses - using drugs, cosmetics, cooking, herbs. The students get all that knowledge from their grandparents and even their great-grandparents.

Unfortunately, today, the language is dying at an unprecedented rate. The language dies every 14 days. Now, at the same time, English is an indisputable global language. Patricia Ryan has seen many changes. When Patricia Ryan first came out to the Gulf, she came to Kuwait on days when it was still a hardship post. Patricia Ryan was recruited by the British Council, along with about 25 other teachers. And they were the first non-Muslims to teach at a public school in Kuwait. They are brought to teach English because the government wants to modernize the state and empower citizens through education. And of course, the the U.K benefited from some of that wonderful oil wealth.

According to Patricia Ryan Now this is a big change she has ever seen - how teaching English has morphed from being a mutually beneficial practice to becoming a massive international business that it is today. No longer just a foreign language in the school curriculum, and no longer the sole area of mother England, it has become the bandwagon for every English speaking nation on earth. According to the latest World University Rankings — is to be found in the universities of the U.K. and the U.S. So everybody wants to have an English education, naturally. But if you're not a native speaker, you have to pass a test.

Patricia Ryan reminds us that giants upon whose shoulders today's intelligentsia stand did not have to have English, they didn't have to pass an English test. A case in point, Einstein. He is considered remedial in school because he is dyslexic. But fortunately for the world, he did not have to pass an English test. Since they did not start until 1964 with the TOEFL.

Patricia Ryan understands why people want to focus on English. They want to give their children the best chance in life. And to do that, they need Western education. Because the best work is aimed at people from Western University.

            A young Kenyan Get the Hero Award, he can not study at night in his village, like all the village children, because the kerosene lamp, it had smoke and it damaged his eyes. There was never enough kerosene, so he found the solar lights free of charge and now the kids in his village get the same grades in school as the kids who have electricity at home. When he received his award, he uttered these beautiful words : "The children can lead Africa from what it is today, a dark continent, to a light continent." A simple idea, but it could have such far-reaching consequences.”