Leading university removes English requirement for students

A leading university in China has removed an English-language test from its degree requirements amid a growing debate about the subject’s practical benefits for many people, writes Cyril Ip for the South China Morning Post.

Xi’an Jiaotong University, a public research university in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, has confirmed that it no longer requires students to complete the College English Test, or CET, to enter the university or graduate. The CET is an annual exam for undergraduate and postgraduate students, who usually must pass two levels – Band 4 to be given a place at a university and Band 6 to graduate.

Yu Xiaoyu, a doctoral linguistics researcher at the University of Hong Kong, said that although the removal of CET as a degree requirement would not reduce the importance of the English language in China’s education system at large, students may become less motivated to learn the language.
Full report on the South China Morning Post site