Chile gets top grades in subjects such as economics and politics, yet when it comes to English - one of the keys for success and even survival in international markets - its report card reads ‘more effort needed’. The problem starts in schools. In 2004, a diagnostic test carried out by the Education Ministry, in conjunction with the UK’s Cambridge University, found that only a tiny fraction of Chilean school leavers had a more than basic command of English. But why do so few people speak English in a country that boasts a large network of free trade agreements and close economic and political ties with countries like the United States, Canada and Great Britain?
The answer is a lack of interest, a shortage of qualified teachers and too few opportunities for students to practice English, suggests Sergio Bitar who, as Chile’s education minister from 2003 to 2005, led efforts to promote English at all levels of education. “People don’t see English as something that is necessary in their own lives... we have to make more of an effort to generate the conviction that learning English will lead to a better life,” he says. At the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, regional English language officer Joelle Uzarski - who is also responsible for Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay - echoes this view. “I don’t see parents and employees calling out for English like they do in Uruguay or Brazil,” she says. This is particularly hard to explain, she adds, given that “the English proficiency level in Chile is by far the lowest of the countries I work in.”
Tourists in Chile often express surprise at the inability of most taxi drivers, waiters and shop assistants to speak even a few words of English. Indeed, for a country striving to attract more tourists, the fact that less than 2% of working adults speak a moderate level of English is worrying. And it is also threatening the country’s ability to attract investment. Foreign companies drawn to Chile by its economic and political stability find they have to teach their employees English or look elsewhere. “We’re losing opportunities… there are foreign companies that come here looking for professionals but have to leave because they can’t find employees with English-speaking skills,” says Michael Grasty, chair of AmCham’s education committee.
As president of the Chilean operation of U.S.-based software company Oracle, Grasty has experienced this problem at first hand. Oracle, which is setting up a sales center to provide technical support to customers back in the U.S., needs 400 engineers who speak English, but has only found 25. The lack of English speakers is hindering the diversification of Chile’s natural resource-based economy, says Grasty. “We need to reinvent ourselves to be competitive in the services industry, but one of our big handicaps is that we don’t speak English.”
