Taiwan ranked ninth among 12 Asian countries rated in an English skills index, outperforming only Vietnam, China and Thailand. The ＿＿（41）＿＿ was reported by Education First, an international education company, that rated 1.7 million adults from 54 countries globally from 2009-11 based on tests covering English listening and reading proficiency. Taiwan ranked ninth in Asia and 30th in the world and its global ranking was ＿＿（42）＿＿ the 26th-38th range that represents low proficiency, according to the company's English Proficiency Index. Commenting on Singapore and Malaysia's English skills, Education First Senior Vice President Christopher McCormick said the two nations have higher proficiencies because their populations are composed of multiple ＿＿（43）＿＿ groups who rely on English to communicate. ＿＿（44）＿＿ South Korea（21st overall）and Japan（22nd overall）put a high priority on education, the lack of an English-speaking environment, the focus on memorization and the passive interaction ＿＿（45）＿＿ teachers and students led to their proficiency levels falling below the OECD average, he said.