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refer to an article titled “Non-native vs native English teachers,” (The Jakarta Post, Oct. 29, p. 7).

I am an NNT teaching English in Jakarta for the last seven years. During my career here, I have met and worked with many NTs and NNTs in at least three different schools. While preparing to teach English to Indonesians, you need to enrich your background knowledge of their own language.

I am not sure how many NTs and NNTs do this homework before getting into the classrooms. Being a native speaker doesn’t automatically qualify one as a language expert. At the same time, having a Master’s degree in English language and Literature doesn’t magically produce a great NNT.

There are good and bad in both these camps which may not augur well for students’ preparation to go abroad for further studies. The need of the hour is a uniform method of language teaching right from preschool to the end of high school.

It will be heaven upon earth to see the native teachers (NTs) of English join hands with non-native teachers (NNTs) to make sure they are in the same boat as far as language teaching is concerned.

Many of my NT friends have successfully done this and have proved themselves an asset to their institutions.

However, as you have mentioned in your article, there is a bulk whose credibility as English teachers is far below any of the experienced NNTs.

The NNTs who are either novices in the field or have not been trained properly should make it point to always converse in English while they are at school.

They use their advantage of being Asians to understand the needs of Indonesian students to prepare lessons suited to those needs. There is no point in raising a hue and cry over despicable disparity in salary as nationality gets paid more than hard work does.

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