Online English provider 51Talk pushes China-Philippines cooperation

Aiming to build and develop a universal education system, 51Talk, an online English education provider, and Economic Observer, an independent Chinese weekly newspaper, recently organized the China-Philippines Education Forum held in Beijing, China. The forum focused on how to build a system that would enhance the learners’ learning capability amid diversity and geographical differences. 51Talk founder and chief executive officer Jack Huang said that with 22.58% of the English education market web-based, the sector has become a fast-growing business in China. The figure is expected to balloon to 36.09% on the back of K-12 education, which covers 13 years of basic education. Despite the outlook, Huang said, over one billion Chinese nationals still lack good communication skills in English. He said it would be fitting to develop a strategy to strengthen the cooperation between the Philippines and China in so far as the English online education field is concerned.