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Long waitlists a major barrier to get into EL classes

 
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Thu Nov 09, 2017 6:03 pm    Post subject: Long waitlists a major barrier to get into EL classes Reply with quote

Migrants waiting average ‘six months’ for English classes
EL Gazette | November 2017
Source: http://www.elgazette.com/

Migrants to the UK are waiting an average of six months to start ESOL classes, a survey suggests.

Almost two-thirds of 71 ESOL providers surveyed in England said they had waiting lists. Some providers said they had closed their waiting lists to new learners ‘because it sets up false expectations’. One refugee had waited as long as three years before being offered a place, the survey said. The providers surveyed cater for more than 35,000 ESOL learners, half of whom are waiting an average of six months to start lessons.

And the situation is particularly difficult for parents: 77% of providers said they were unable to provide childcare. The survey was carried out by charity Refugee Action and Natecla (the National Association for Teaching English and Community Languages to Adults), which is pushing for a national strategy for ESOL in England. Stephen Hale, chief executive of Refugee Action, said: ‘Leaving refugees isolated and unable to start learning English is a huge barrier to integration.’

Colleges and organisations providing ESOL classes said they often struggled to meet demand due to dramatic funding cuts. According to Natecla figures, funding for ESOL has dropped from £203 million in 2009–10 to £90m in 2015–16. Jenny Roden of Natecla told the Gazette that the association ran a similar survey in 2014. ‘Figures have actually got worse,’ she said. ‘With funding slashed, many teachers have left – and now we have a teacher shortage as well.’ Roden told the Gazette there is currently a ‘postcode lottery’ determining access to provision. An ESOL strategy, she says, is needed to ensure better coordination and management at both local and national level.

(End of excerpt)
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billbob



Joined: 19 Nov 2009
Posts: 55

PostPosted: Wed Nov 22, 2017 9:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

More than a decade ago, I was teaching at a summer school in the UK. A pgce-holder (tefl greenhorn) told me, upon learning that I lived abroad, "Oh, you know you could do your job in the UK, don't you? Every immigrant (she was also referring to refugees) is entitled to free English lessons." Is that still the same now?

I can't remember how I replied, but I was too polite to tell her that that would be missing the point- I didn't get into that line of work to be a teaching assistant in my own country;)
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Wed Nov 22, 2017 9:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Abroad" is considered by many in Britain to be an awful place to be avoided at all costs. I suppose a similar prejudice exists in the US
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Wed Nov 22, 2017 9:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I suppose a similar prejudice exists in the US


Well, about 42% of USAians apparently own passports (more than I expected), but I have heard things like 'greatest country on earth - if not, why does everybody want to move here?' with some regularity on my US visits....
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Wed Nov 22, 2017 10:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

billbob wrote:
A pgce-holder (tefl greenhorn) told me, upon learning that I lived abroad, "Oh, you know you could do your job in the UK, don't you? Every immigrant (she was also referring to refugees) is entitled to free English lessons."

I would think refugees to the UK are entitled to free/subsidized English lessons, while immigrants would have to pay out of pocket. Is that the case?

The author wrote:
And the situation is particularly difficult for parents: 77% of providers said they were unable to provide childcare.
....
‘Leaving refugees isolated and unable to start learning English is a huge barrier to integration.’

The other barrier is time; newcomers who work long hours generally don't have the time to attend ESL classes. Plus, they may not be motivated to sign up for lessons if they're able to get a job that entails minimal to no English.
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