ndonesia has been ranked 39th out of 80 countries in the 2017 English First English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), an annual report conducted by international education company English First (EF).
Indonesia fell seven spots from the previous year, when it was ranked 32nd out of 72 countries.
The average score in Asian countries is 53.60, according to the report. With a score of 52.15, Indonesia is below the regional average and part of the Low Proficiency Band category.
Read also: Indonesia ranks 32nd in English proficiency index
Among ASEAN countries, Singapore was ranked first in English proficiency with a score of 66.03, followed by Malaysia and the Philippines. Like last year, the three countries made the top 15.
EF senior director of research and academic partnerships Minh N. Tran said in a press release that Low Proficiency Band countries had the ability to understand English in emails and engage in small talk but had yet to demonstrate negotiation, mediation and lobbying skills as well as compete with other countries in English.
EF created an online test involving over 1 million participants from 80 countries to gather data for this year's report. (kes)
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