RIYADH: EF Education First released the ninth annual edition of its English Proficiency Index (EF EPI 2019) on Wednesday, analyzing data from 2.3 million non-native English speakers in 100 countries and regions.
This year, the Netherlands replaces Sweden as the top scorer. Saudi Arabia ranked 98th, scoring 41.6 on the English proficiency index. Saudi Arabia was ranked 83rd last year, dropping 15 positions this year.
Last year, the UAE had the highest ranking among the GCC countries, ranking 71 globally. This year it is ranked 70th. However, this year Bahrain scored the highest from the region, ranking 55th in the world.
The EF EPI is based on test scores from the EF Standard English Test (EF SET), the world’s first free standardized English test. The EF SET has been used worldwide by thousands of schools, companies, and governments for large-scale testing.
“English remains the undisputed global language of business. Our ninth edition of the EF EPI is more comprehensive than ever, providing valuable insights for governments to evaluate their language learning policies and the return on their investments in language training,” said Minh Tran, EF executive director of academic affairs.
Speaking to Arab News, David Bish, director of academic management at EF in Zurich, said: “There are ways you can improve the figures quickly. But a long-term sustainable improvement is what Saudi Arabia should want and need, which is about working with teachers, raising the level of teaches in school, improving their standard of English and incentivizing them; maybe offering online training or outreach training through electronic means, then using local school teaching to raise the level of school students so they feed into university.”
He said that what Saudi Arabia’s tourism initiatives are a good way of incentivizing local people to get involved and interact through the medium of English and seize more opportunities to speak English.
“But for a quick fix, my magic recipe is simply to encourage more schools and businesses to adopt the use of this standard test platform, which is completely free and tests across some of your already well-performing institutions who must be doing so much better because you are already reporting their successes and things like ease of business. So we want them to engage and show what they can achieve. This is part of that openness. Take these tests to show what Saudis can do. I think that’s your quick fix,” he added.
“I think it is long-term to build the level up but we may not be seeing the true picture because unless more people take the test from the institutions that are performing well, we can’t tell. We need these superstar Saudi institutions to represent their country in this way and show what their high-performing students can do. Maybe this is the closest you have to a quick fix and maybe it will give us a clearer picture of what is really happening.”
Key findings of the EF EPI 2019 include: The network effect of English has never been stronger. The more people use English, the more useful it becomes for individuals, businesses, and countries to access resources and opportunities; European English skills are polarized, with most of the EU’s neighbors not developing English proficiency at the same pace as member states; Asia still has the largest gap between individual country scores, and China has moved from low to moderate proficiency for the first time; Latin America is finally turning around after years of stagnation.
Twelve out of 18 countries surveyed in the region improved their proficiency between 2017 and 2018; Africa’s overall average dropped significantly, and the gap between higher and lower proficiency countries is wider than ever; Women still outscore men in English skills worldwide, but the gender gap is closing; High English proficiency continues to correlate with various indicators of economic competitiveness, including higher income and increased labor productivity.
Global survey tests Saudi Arabia’s English skills
Global survey tests Saudi Arabia’s English skills
Saudi Crown Prince, UN secretary general discuss Gaza situation
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has received a phone call from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the Saudi Press Agency said early Tuesday.
The pair discussed the latest developments in Gaza and efforts towards achieving peace and stability.
French minister tours cultural highlights during Saudi visit
RIYADH: Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Saudi Arabia’s culture minister, received his French counterpart Rachida Dati, who is currently on a visit to the Kingdom.
Prince Badr commended the robust cultural relations between the Kingdom and France, emphasizing their recent development and the Saudi leadership’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral cultural connections.
The discussions centered on ways to bolster cooperation and international cultural exchange between the Kingdom and France across various cultural domains. Key areas of focus included museums, theater and performing arts, culinary arts, films, heritage preservation, libraries, visual arts, music, fashion, architecture, and design.
Dati explored several prominent cultural venues and events in Riyadh during her official visit.
She toured the “Diriyah Biennale for Contemporary Art” held in the Jax district of Diriyah. The biennale features a significant number of elite artists from both the Kingdom and around the globe.
The Jax district has undergone a complete redesign, transforming it into a vibrant creative hub featuring performance spaces, artist studios, art galleries, and supportive platforms.
Dati also visited the Irqah Cultural Center and was briefed on its various innovative cultural initiatives. The center exemplifies Saudi cultural creativity by repurposing historical buildings and turning them into unique spaces that embrace art, artists, and elements of Saudi culture.
The French minister also visited the offices of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and learned about some of the plans for the city and Expo 2030 which is being hosted in the Saudi capital.
Saudi leaders congratulate Russian president on re-election
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made a phone call to Russian president Vladimir Putin, the Saudi Press Agency said early Tuesday.
The Crown Prince congratulated Putin on being re-elected for a new presidential term.
Putin thanked the crown prince for his noble feelings.
“The call stressed distinguished bilateral relations and ways of enhancing them in all fields,” the SPA reported.
Earlier, King Salman and the Crown Prince sent separate cables congratulating the Russian president.
Saudi foreign, culture ministers sign memorandum of understanding to boost cooperation
- MoU set to foster closer cooperation in advancing international cultural exchanges
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday to help boost collaboration between their ministries within the cultural sector and aid coordination across various fields, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The agreement, which was signed in Riyadh, is set to foster closer cooperation in advancing international cultural exchanges.
It is in line with the Kingdom’s National Strategy for Culture under Vision 2030.
Jordan’s crown prince performs Umrah
- He was joined by a diverse group of the Jordanian Armed Forces, young entrepreneurs, activists, athletes
RIYADH: Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah on Monday performed Umrah, the minor pilgrimage to Makkah.
He also performed prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Jordan News Agency reported.
Accompanying him were notable figures including Prince Omar bin Faisal, Prince Nayef bin Asem, and Prince Rakan bin Mired.
He was also joined by a diverse group comprising members of the Jordanian Armed Forces, young entrepreneurs, activists, athletes, and media professionals. They shared in the spiritual journey and also gathered for iftar, the meal to break the fast during Ramadan.