Following are a selection of readers' responses to the July 27 Zeit Gist column headlined "Ex-students don't want JET grounded" by Eric Johnston and Kanako Nakamura:
Program reaps myriad benefits
Grounding the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme would be a terrible mistake in this global era. As a former JET whose life was unexpectedly and positively transformed by this program, which has some flaws like any endeavor, I do think JET should remain and grow.
By developing a relationship with an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher), Japanese students can and do gain competence in English and confidence when working in an international setting. They can improve their pronunciation and communicative English skills through the team teaching with JETs.