Language course for workers going to Japan

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Labour and Transport Management (MoLT) has prescribed language curriculum for workers seeking employment in Japan.

According to Pramod Bhattarai, information officer at the Migrant Resource Centre under the Foreign Employment Promotion Board of the MoLT, Japanese Language Teachers’ Associations Nepal (JALTAN) will coordinate the language instruction and test of aspirant workers.

Each language teaching firm is required to be a member of Japanese Language Teachers’ Associations Nepal.

The curriculum includes Japanese writing system, greetings and numbers while the candidates need to pass the level-4 Japanese Language Proficiency Test.

The 600-strong vocabulary includes words used for health management and avoiding danger, those featuring in rules and behaviour required for living in the country and basic terms related to work and occupation. Understanding the Japanese culture and food are also part of the course.

The curriculum is likely to regulate teaching and learning of the language at a time when the learners and instructors have been unclear about the scope of learning.