World’s top students converge in Manila for “Olympics of Debate”

MANILA, December 29, 2011—The Philippines welcomes participants from all over the world as De La Salle University and San Miguel Corp. host what is considered to be the “Olympics of Debating”, the 32nd World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC or Worlds).

Over 1,000 participants from 41 nations converge in Manila to battle it out to be called the world’s best debaters in this nine-day competition that has started Dec. 27 until Jan, 4, 2012. The best and the brightest university students from 224 universities – including the University of Sydney, Monash, Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard – will have nine elimination rounds to determine, from the 400 registered teams, the top 32 teams which will advance to the penultimate rounds in the British Parliamentary format. There are separate categories for Public Speaking as a Second Language (ESL), and English as a Foreign Language (for countries whose nationals do not usually use English as a medium of conversation).

Top judges and debaters in the world, to be headed by DLSU alumna Lucinda Teresa David and Cambridge alumnus debater Sam Block, will be flown in just for the tournament. The organizing team waived the registration fees of the 66 top judges and some of them will also receive airfare subsidies to ensure the high quality of the tournament.

The tournament is not just about debating, as participants will be treated to nine nights of various social events.

Full story...

Philippines ready to implement K+12 basic education curriculum

MANILA, December 17, 201—With more than a P31-billion increase in its budget for 2012, the Department of Education (DepEd) is now ready to implement its ambitious K+12 basic education curriculum (BEC) plan.

“DepEd intends to address the current requirements and shortages in the next two years so that it can focus its resources in latter years towards addressing the significant resource requirements for the full implementation of K+12 in 2016,” Education Secretary Armin Luistro said.

He said the DepEd is both heartened and challenged by the administration’s support for the program, especially through bigger budget allocation for the department at P238.8 billion next year from this year’s P207 billion.

The program aims to address deficiencies in elementary education as well as enhance the competitiveness of the high school curricula. Officials said the program is designed to help students adjust to the fast-changing demands of society by providing graduates with essential skills for local or global employment or for college education.

Under the K+12 BEC plan, the country’s current 10-year basic education, covering six years of elementary and four years of high school, will stretch to 12 years – six years of elementary, four years of junior high school (Grade 7 to 10), and two years of senior high school.

Education officials have noted deficiencies in competencies in core subjects of English, Math and Science among Filipino high school graduates.

Full story...

Nurses in Japan find language a barrier
By Philip C. Tubeza, Philippine Daily Inquirer

KYOTO, December 6, 2011—“It’s like taking a nursing course all over again, but this time, in Japanese.”

That is what Filipino nurses here told Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz when they met on Sunday and asked the labor chief for help in hurdling the national nursing board exams of Japan.
Baldoz said she met with six nurses and five caregivers who came here under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa), and they asked for help because the board exams were in Japanese and “were really very difficult.”

“They asked for assistance in their review and suggested that we negotiate (with the Japanese) to find ways to make the exams easier. They said the exams were really very difficult,” Baldoz said in an interview.

“They said it was like studying again, but this time using the Japanese language,” she added.

Baldoz is in Japan to attend the International Labor Organization’s 15th Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM), which will discuss jobs protection and economic growth amid the global financial crisis.

Baldoz said the government would raise the issue when Japan and the Philippines review the Jpepa next month.

“That’s one area we will take up in January when we have the negotiations in Manila. We will be looking into areas for improvement and that is one of the things we will check,” Baldoz said.

Full story...

Philippines beats India to emerge as leader in call centre business
By Vikas Bajaj, NYT News Service

MANILA, November 28, 2011—Americans calling the customer service lines of their airlines, phone companies and banks are now more likely to speak to Mark in Manila than Bharat in Bangalore. Over the last several years, a quiet revolution has been reshaping the call centre business: The rise of the Philippines, a former United States colony that has a large population of young people who speak lightly accented English and, unlike many Indians, are steeped in American culture.

More Filipinos—about 400,000—than Indians now spend their nights talking to mostly American consumers, industry officials said, as companies like AT&T, JPMorgan Chase and Expedia have hired call centres here, or built their own. The jobs have come from the United States, Europe and, to some extent, India as outsourcers followed their clients to the Philippines.

India, where offshore call centres first took off in a big way, fields as many as 350,000 call centre agents, according to some industry estimates. The Philippines, which has a population one-tenth as big as India’s, overtook India this year, according to Jojo Uligan, executive director of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines.

The growing preference for the Philippines reflects in part the maturation of the outsourcing business and in part a preference for American English…

Full story...

Learning aids in dialects to be developed for mother-tongue multilingual education
By Rainier Allan Ronda, The Philippine Star

MANILA, December 1, 2011—The Department of Education (DepEd) will allocate more funds for the development of learning aids and materials in the various dialects as it seeks to bolster mother tongue-based multilingual education in public preschools and elementary schools all over the country.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said the development of the learning materials will go full speed ahead especially with his release of guidelines on the use of funds to develop learning materials for schools offering mother-tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE).

The languages used for instruction and learning under the MTB-MLE include Iloko, Pangasinense, Kalangoyan, Kapampangan, Sambal, Tagalog, Minangyan, Bikol, Hiligaynon, Aklanon, Cebuano, Waray-Waray, Chavacano, Yakan, T’Boli, Surigaonon, Adasen, Bunungan, In Laud, Maranao and Maguindanaon.

Mother tongue-based education prescribes the use of the language learners speak at home or in their respective provinces in delivering lessons and in classroom discussions. MTB-MLE is implemented from preschool up to Grade 3 and in the alternative learning system. He said “producing educational materials that suit the specific needs of learners will result to better learning outcomes”.

Luistro explained that DepEd came up with the guidelines to synchronize and decentralize the production of indigenized teaching and learning materials as well as in the monitoring and evaluation of the MTB-MLE.

Full story...

Outsourcing stems Philippines labor exodus
By Cecil Morella, Agence France Presse

November 25, 2011—Malaysia-based computer whiz Arlene Teodoro packed his bags and flew home to the Philippines this year, going against the tide in an impoverished country that sends millions of workers abroad.

Forced to leave his family and friends in 2008 in search of a decent job overseas, the 35-year-old bachelor says he is back for good because his skills are suddenly in big demand amid a business process outsourcing boom.

“Nothing compares to being back in the Philippines,” said Teodoro, part of a 30-strong computer science class at a Manila university in the early 1990s, most of whose members also went overseas to find work.

“When I was working abroad I'd use up all my vacation leaves to attend family events and reconnect with my family.”

Teodoro now earns about $3,000 a month as a business intelligence analyst for a US data mining firm, which uses powerful software to predict such key measures as future sales and trends for clients.

Big multinationals from aircraft manufacturers to retail chains are increasingly using these sophisticated tools, and the Philippines and India offer the most cost-efficient locales for such labour-intensive tasks, he said.

They also, crucially, have large English-speaking populations.

Data mining is one small part of the outsourcing phenomenon in the Philippines that has emerged from virtually nothing 10 years ago to become one of the country's most important economic planks and sources of jobs.

Full story...

Church revises Roman Missal
By Jerome Aning, Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, November 25, 2011—While Roman Catholics in the United States will be using a revised missal at the start of the Christmas season on Sunday, Catholics in the Philippines will have to wait another year to do so.

Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) already had an English version of the Roman Missal. But it needs to be translated into various native languages in the Philippines, he said.

“We already have an English translation but we’re still waiting for it to be translated to the vernacular. We’ll be using the revised missal starting the First Sunday of Advent 2012,” Iñiguez told the Inquirer over the phone.

The CBCP Episcopal Commission on the Liturgy, headed by Zamboanga Archbishop Romulo Valles, is leading the translation of the missal into Filipino, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Bicolano, Waray and other major languages of the Philippines in consultation with various dioceses.

“The 41-year-old liturgy, with its colloquial English phrasings, will be replaced by a revised Roman Missal that’s word-for-word more literally tied to the original Latin Mass,” USA Today reported.

The Roman Missal, also called Order of the Mass, is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rites of the Catholic Church.
Pope John Paul II authorized the revision of the missal way back in 2001 to reflect the Latin original. Pope Benedict XVI approved the revisions last year.

An example of the changes is the response “Et cum spiritu tuo” (literally, “And with your spirit”), which is rendered “And also with you” in the current missal.

Full story...

Filipinos off to learn more than just English
By Abigail L. Ho, Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, November 7, 2011—If the government will have its way, Filipinos will not just be known the world over for their ability to speak English, but other languages as well.

That vision is one step closer to becoming reality following the agreement between the Board of Investments (BoI) and computing giant IBM Philippines to eventually put up a facility that will train existing and potential business process outsourcing personnel in languages other than English.

According to Ming Espineda, research analyst at Canada-based XMG Global, the planned training facility would be part of the BoI-IBM partnership dubbed “Philippines as the Global Leader in Multilingual BPO.”

“The partnership is a purely BoI-IBM initiative. However, the benefits are not exclusive to just IBM or BPO employees. Setting up a training facility to develop multilingual talents is part of the plan of this partnership. A move to encourage (overseas Filipino workers) to return and practice at work the language they have learned abroad will be part of the goal,” she said in an e-mail sent to the Inquirer.
IBM commissioned XMG to conduct a study on the potential of the Philippines as a multilingual BPO location.

Espineda added that another objective of the BoI-IBM partnership was to “simplify and integrate processes and policies on work permits for foreign nationals and visa applications for local talents going on knowledge-transfer (training) abroad.”

Full story...

Education Department hopes to rekindle interest in reading

MANILA, November 2, 2011—The Department of Education (DepEd) is hoping to bring back the interest of school children in reading instead of them spending too much time on the Internet.

DepEd has declared November as the National Reading Month and has urged schools and learning institutions to conduct a month-long reading program to revive the youth’s interest in the printed word.

In a memorandum issued this week, Education Secretary Armin Luistro ordered school officials to conduct various reading activities in schools and other learning facilities, among them a Read-a-Thon, “Drop Everything and Read (Dear)” and remedial reading classes for children.
The program is part of DepEd’s move to institutionalize the national “Every Child a Reader” program, Luistro said in his Memorandum No. 244.

“DepEd is initiating programs that would promote reading and literacy among the pupils and students, motivate our youth to learn from the lives and works of eminent Filipinos, uphold one’s own heritage and values and make reading a shared physical experience,” said Luistro in his memo.

Among activities DepEd lined up for November are the Read-a-Thon, which aims to discover outstanding readers in class; the Dear program, which engages students in 15 to 20 minutes of reading daily; and the shared reading or readers’ mentoring program, where older students are encouraged to assist younger readers with reading difficulties.

Full story...

Language tests for doctors still a concern, says GMC

YORKSHIRE, December 21, 2011—The safety of patients is still at risk despite new EU proposals on English language testing of overseas doctors, the medical regulator has warned.

EU doctors will still be able to register in the UK without being tested on their English or medical competence under the new plans.

However, the EU directive says language testing can only take place after a doctor has already had their qualifications accepted by the regulator.

And it suggests language testing should only then take place if there are specific concerns about an individual doctor.

The General Medical Council (GMC) said patient safety was still at risk and called for clarification of the detail in the directive.

Parts of the directive suggest regulators should only intervene and language test doctors when there are “serious and concrete doubt about the professional’s sufficient language knowledge”.

The GMC wants blanket English language testing at the point of registration, not after a doctor has already been accepted. The council believes it is important to test the language skills of all doctors, not just when concerns have been raised about their performance.

Under current rules, the GMC also cannot test clinical competency of doctors coming from the EU, even though it would like to do so.

Full story...

English test challenge dismissed

December 17, 2011 (UKPA)—A High Court judge has dismissed a legal challenge to a new immigration rule requiring people to be able to speak English before coming to the UK to live with their spouse.

Mr. Justice Beatson said the new “pre-entry” English language test announced by Home Secretary Theresa May in June 2010 did not interfere with the human rights of three couples who brought the challenge.

In his judgment, handed down at the High Court in Birmingham, Mr. Justice Beatson said the new requirement was not a disproportionate interference with family life.

The claimants’ lawyers launched the judicial review in the High Court, arguing that the rule contravened the right to a family life and the right to marry under the European Convention on Human Rights.

British citizen Rashida Chapti, 54, and her 57-year-old husband Vali Chapti were one of three named claimants in the case.

The couple have been married for 37 years and have six children together but Mr. Chapti, an Indian national who does not speak, read or write English, cannot move to the UK under the new immigration rule. The challenge to the rule also claimed the language requirement was unlawful and constituted discrimination on the grounds of race and nationality.

Full story...

Focus on “soft subjects” harming teenagers” job prospects
By Graeme Paton, Telegraph.co.uk

November 24, 2011—Researchers warned of a “strong correlation” between the youth unemployment rate and failure to gain at least a C grade GCSE in English and maths at the age of 16.
According to data, the link is strongest in deprived towns and cities with fewer job opportunities and a larger number of school-leavers competing for skilled employment.

Figures show that young people in areas such as Grimsby, Hastings, Middlesbrough, Hull and Birmingham are more than six times as likely to be claiming jobseekers’ allowance as those in Oxford and Cambridge.

Many “struggling” towns and cities also had the worst exam results, it was disclosed. No more than four-in-10 pupils left school with five A* to C grades including English and maths in areas such as Barnsley, Burnley and Hull over a three year period, it emerged.

The disclosure is made in a report by Centre for Cities, an independent think-tank tasked with boosting urban economies.

It comes a week after the youth unemployment rate soared to a 15-year high, with more than one million 16- to 24-year-olds now out of work.

Joanna Averley, the institute’s chief executive, said the problem was exacerbated by school league tables that encourage pupils to concentrate on “soft” subjects at the expense of core academic disciplines.

Full story...

Labour backs English baccalaureate to boost languages study
By Jeevan Vasagar and Jessica Shepherd, Guardian.co.uk

November 27, 2011—The government’s English baccalaureate (Ebacc), which recognises pupils who achieve good passes in a mix of academic subjects at GCSE, has won support from Labour's education spokesman.

Stephen Twigg, who was appointed shadow education secretary last month, gave qualified praise to the measure, which he said might reverse the decline in children studying languages.

His endorsement is the latest shift in position after Twigg expressed support for free schools, if they raise standards and help narrow the achievement gap between rich and poor. In an interview with the Guardian, he said: “The Ebacc has one clear positive: more children carrying on to languages at 16. Let’s be frank, the government has achieved something there and I welcome that.”

However, Twigg said the Ebacc had “a whole set of negatives” in terms of potentially crowding out other subjects.

In 2003 the Labour government decided to make languages optional after 14, a change that was introduced from September 2004. Language study has waned steadily since then. This year there were 154,000 entries for GCSE French, compared with more than 300,000 in 2004.

The English baccalaureate, introduced in school league tables this year, recognises pupils who have achieved a C or better in English, maths, history or geography, sciences and a language.

Full story...

“English banned” at song contest for minority languages
By Nik Martin, DW-World.de

LONDON, November 24, 2011—It’s all about taking part...

A song contest to raise awareness of Europe’s most endangered languages has been held in Italy. Organizers hope they can galvanize support to keep Asturian, Sami, Romansch, and other languages alive.

A 2,000 strong crowd turned out for this year's final of the Liet International Song Contest—featuring 12 artists—in the northeastern city of Udine, home to the Friulan minority language.

The team behind Liet International, which is now in its eighth year, is proud of its blanket ban, preventing contestants from singing in English. And officials said the finalists were not obsessing over whether the average European could understand them.

The audience was made up of young people who were the first or second generation never to learn their centuries-old regional dialect.

In Scotland, the Gaelic language - which is pronounced gallic - is mostly spoken in the highlands and islands in the north.

“People who speak Gaelic are choosing instead, as I am right now, to speak in English,” said Dol Eoin, lead singer with Macanta, Scotland’s entry for the competition.

Born on the island of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, Dol Eoin’s parents taught him Gaelic from a young age. But over the years, English became more predominant.

"All these different languages are in similar positions," the singer-songwriter told Deutsche Welle. "I think that hopefully the song contest will help each respective language to smell the coffee because we're not called a minority language for nothing."

Full story...

BookThug lives up to its name, in poetry
By JOHN BARBER, Globe and Mail

November 13, 2011—With 35 candidates competing in seven different categories for this year’s English-language Governor-General’s Literary Awards, due to be announced Tuesday, all eyes as usual will focus on the two or three novelists most favoured to win the marquee fiction prize – the same few who have dominated the busy award season that Tuesday’s ceremony will unofficially bring to an exhausted end.

But when it comes to real domination, none of the authors or publishers vying for the big prizes can match the obscure one-man shop that virtually owns the shortlist for the 2011 Governor-General’s poetry award.

Of five books nominated for the $25,000 prize, three were published by upstart small press BookThug, operated on a kitchen table almost single-handedly by Toronto poet Jay MillAr.

Not since Coach House Press first published the likes of Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje more than 40 years ago has a single publisher of poetry made such an impression on the national literature.

The difference is that today there are literally dozens of similar small presses – maybe not many so small as BookThug – doing the same thing. Fifty-three publishers, most of them surviving on modest grants from the Canada Council, submitted a total of 170 books for the 2011 poetry award.

The unifying theme of the three BookThug nominees is their diversity, according to MillAr, whose unconventional signature honours the legacy of such pioneer avant-gardists as bpNichol and bill bissett, publisher of blewointment press, the original inspiration for BookThug.

Full story...

Alarm sounded as schools axe foreign language aides
By Susan Smith, Scotsman.com

November 14, 2011—The number of language assistants in Scottish schools has dropped by 80 per cent in the past six years, sparking fears that they are being phased out.

More than three quarters of Scottish councils have now completely axed their programme of foreign language-speaking teaching assistants, with just seven councils employing 41 native speakers of Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish in state schools this year. Another 18 are working in private schools.

Since 2006 the number of language assistants has fallen from around 300 to just 59 this year.

The British Council Scotland, which is funded by the Scottish Government to run the national language assistant programme, said that Scotland could miss out on foreign investment because its citizens could speak only English.

Lloyd Anderson, director of British Council Scotland, said: “Assistants perform a vital role in supporting language teachers by bringing a cultural dimension to language-learning that enthuses and inspires young people.

“Teachers are in no doubt that this helps increase linguistic fluency and makes it more likely a young person will continue studying languages to a high level.

“In an increasingly globalised world, Scotland needs to be outward-looking.

“Scotland could miss out on international investment and export opportunities if we simply expect everyone to speak English.”

Full story...

Business English teaching is slow to turn professional
By Roisin Vaughan, Guardian Weekly

November 8, 2011—The debate surrounding professionalisation of the ELT industry has recently been reignited on the business English teaching community’s discussion forums. The questions that are firing online exchanges are: should there be more accredited qualifications for business English teachers? and would the community benefit from a professional association to raise standards and enable teachers to command higher and fairer rates of pay?

With low barriers to entry, no professional governing body and few recognised international qualifications, it is debatable whether business English teaching can call itself a profession.

While there is a high level of interest in continuing professional development (CPD) among practitioners, the lack of accredited qualifications suggest low levels of demand for certification. Unlike general English teaching, for which there is a clearly set out qualification pathway, no such Celta or Diploma gold standard exists for business English practitioners, who must carve their own pathway through fragmented training courses.

Trinity College London does validate a Certificate in International Business English Training (Cert Ibet) and there have been calls for a diploma to follow on from this. But there is still no higher diploma or masters-level course specifically for business English.

Full story...

OS students hurt by lack of English
By Amanda Dunn, TheAge.com.au

December 18, 2011—Academics are increasingly concerned international students do not have adequate English skills to cope with their courses, according to new research.

A Deakin University study also found lecturers believed they were under pressure to pass foreign students with poor English and that the students themselves, who pay thousands of dollars to study in Australia, were also feeling the pressure.

The study involves interviews with students, academics and employers from three areas—nursing, accounting and engineering—across three unnamed universities, two in Victoria and one in New South Wales.

The results are preliminary and reflect findings from interviews with the 34 academics, but researcher Cate Gribble told The Sunday Age there were clearly students coming to courses with inadequate English, and “'certainly from a lot of the people we have spoken to, they do say that … the standard now is not what it was a number of years ago.”'

The research follows a Victorian Ombudsman’s report in October that found serious problems related to international students and English levels, including academics feeling pressure to pass students whose performance was inadequate due to poor language skills, and students resorting to plagiarism or bribery in their desperation to pass. The report also highlighted academics’ concerns that students were admitted with inadequate English because of universities' reliance on the revenue they bring in.

Full story...

Australian universities compromise standards to attract foreign students, says report

A top-level Australian state government report has leveled serious allegations regarding the treatment of foreign students by some of that country’s top universities, foremost of which is that universities are attracting bigger numbers of foreign students, and as a result increasing revenues, by compromising on English language requirements for students selected for admission.

Victoria’s Ombudsman has uncovered worrying evidence that universities have been putting the need for student fee revenue ahead of the ability of students to complete their courses, apparently enrolling students with too-poor English skills, according to a October 27 report in The Australian, a newspaper in Australia.

It also warned that bribery and attempted bribery by students, including an instance where a student offered sexual favours, may be a bigger problem than the sector accepts.

The report adds fuel to repeated anecdotal complaints from academics that they come under pressure to drop standards for under-prepared international students to ensure they pass.
“I consider that the universities need to shift their focus from recruiting students and boosting their revenue to ensuring their international students have the necessary skills to study successfully,”' acting Ombudsman John Taylor said in his report, “Investigation into how universities deal with international students,”

The ombudsman report notes that the four universities have rejected any suggestions that admission standards have been compromised by revenue concerns. The universities also questioned the methodology of the report, including the number of witnesses.

Full story...

Primary school languages plan hits resistance
By Andrew Stevenson, Sydney Morning Herald
 
NEW SOUTH WALES, November 22, 2011—Primary school students in NSW, many of whom learn no languages other than English, would be taught a language for two hours a week under the national curriculum the federal government is developing.

But the NSW Education Department exhibits no enthusiasm for the change, warning of teacher shortages and a crowded curriculum.

Currently, the first formal requirement for language teaching does not begin until high school, where 100 hours of language instruction is mandated for students in years 7 and 8. Primary
The national curriculum for languages will be written on a basis of primary students spending 5 per cent of total teaching time - or 350 hours - learning a language. In years 7 and 8 this would rise to 8 per cent of teaching time, or 160 hours.

The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority yesterday issued its final shape paper for languages in the curriculum. Italian and Mandarin will be the first languages developed for the curriculum, and 13 others are under consideration for the next stage.

A spokesman for the federal Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett, said: "It won't be compulsory, but the intention of the shape paper is to make it clear all kids will be entitled to learn a language from kindergarten onwards.''

The national plans represent a challenge for NSW, which lags other states in language teaching. ''If implemented in NSW schools, this will have significant implications for teacher education and teacher supply, as well as the potential crowding of the primary curriculum,'' a spokesman for the Education Department said.

Change in NSW would require the Premier, Barry O'Farrell, to get directly involved in overcoming traditional resistance from the education bureaucracy, said an authority on language teaching.

Full story...

More than just LOLs, texts boost literacy
By Stephanie Anderson, Canberra Times

CANBERRA, November 21, 2011—Texting, Twitter and their social media contemporaries have long been blamed for the purported demise of proper English.

But it appears that Generation Text may have the last LOL, as some academics credit the rise of social media technology for boosted literacy levels and an increasingly layered English language.

Bruce Moore, from the Australian National Dictionary Centre, said the increased use of text language through mobile phones and online forums meant young people were producing more written material than previous generations.

“'They are writing more than they ever did, especially in the shorter forms, like text messaging,”' he said.

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed an 18.1 per cent increase in the number of mobile phone subscribers over the six months preceding December 2010.

Of those 9.7 million subscribers, 37per cent had signed up for internet access.

Dr Moore said the increased use of non-verbal communication technology had forced the evolution of the English language and led to the establishment of text talk as an accepted communication tone.

Though it may not be as widely used as formal or colloquial tones, text talk had its legitimacy confirmed when the Oxford English Dictionary added OMG, BFF and LOL to its online edition earlier this year.

Full story...

Beaten by the language barrier
By Sarah-Jane Collins, TheAge.com.au

November 1, 2011—For some international students, passing their university course is worth offering their body. Desperate to up her grades, one student proposed such a deal with her lecturer.

“This is an offer that will change her life in terms of her potential in the future in her society or whether she could get married at the right level and everything else. Because that’s how important [the grade] was for her,” a Deakin university academic is quoted as saying in a state Ombudsman’s report tabled in Parliament last week.

“What really was damaging to me was that the stakes are so high, absolutely sky-high, that you can get to that point as a student.”

Such desperation is part of life for some international students, who struggle with English and do not get the support they need to complete their studies satisfactorily, according to acting Victorian Ombudsman John Taylor.

The Ombudsman initiated an investigation into international students at four of Victoria’s eight universities — RMIT, Deakin, Swinburne and Ballarat —in December last year, after his office received a number of complaints.

Over three years to the middle of this year, the number of student complaints more than tripled. The report says a large number of those were from international students unhappy with their treatment.

Why are they unhappy? Because, the report concludes, universities are not always meeting their obligation to admit only those who can handle the coursework. Once students who cannot cope enter the system, they begin — quite rapidly — to flounder.

Full story...

Tenth person charged over Curtin English language test bribery

PERTH, November 2, 2011—A Corruption and Crime Commission investigation into a scam at Curtin University has resulted in a tenth person being charged.

Rajesh Kumar, 31, today appeared in the Perth Magistrates Court on four counts of bribery over an alleged English language testing scam.

A former Curtin University employee is believed to have accepted bribes to alter International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores at the Curtin English Language Centre over 12 months to June 2010.

In some of the cases, false test reports were submitted to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship in support of application for visas or permanent residency in Australia.

The Coolbellup man left Australia during the CCC's investigation but was detained and charged after returning to Australia yesterday.

It is alleged he took a total of $32,000 from three candidates, keeping $14,000 for himself and paying the rest to an intermediary who passed some on to the former Curtin employee to alter the scores.

Full story...

Reading of English papers help exam preparation
By Shoko Okuda, Yomiuri Shimbun

December 3, 2011—“Where can the first paragraph of this article be punctuated according to the context?”

This was a question posed by Yasumi Shiga to her students as she started an English class at Shizuoka Futaba High and Middle School in mid-September.

They were third-year students in the high school division. The 56-year-old teacher went over an article run by an English-language newspaper this summer on biomass energy. She had distributed copies of the article to the students during a previous lesson, requiring them to prepare for the next class.

“In my classes, each student gets about 100 English articles a year as study material, including ones for self-learning,” Shiga said.

Managed under a system integrating middle and high schools, Shizuoka Futaba offers a unique English education program aimed at cultivating globally-minded human resources.

Using English newspaper articles—as well as novels and magazines—has been part of the school’s practical curriculum for about 20 years to enhance students' reading comprehension skills.

In its middle school division, students start by reading short English sentences—for example, only those found in the first paragraph of articles…

Full story...

English newspapers in Japan offer topics for discussion
By Shoko Okuda, Yomiuri Shimbun

November 26, 2011—The instruction given June 17 to an English class at a middle school attached to Ryogoku High School was a challenging task for students. Takao Yamamoto encouraged third-year students to debate whether the teaching of English should start at primary school.

"Please discuss [it] in your groups," Yamamoto, 41, an English-language teacher, told the class at the middle school affiliated with the Tokyo metropolitan-run high school. His instruction prompted the students to start debating the theme in English.

In discussing the topic, the students tried to get some ideas from a Daily Yomiuri article that was published this spring. The story was an English translation of an article carried by the Japanese-language Yomiuri Shimbun as part of an installment in the “Education Renaissance” series, which focused on the teaching of English at primary school.

Yamamoto chose the English article as a tool to help students understand the current state of English education for primary school children and logically explain their views on the topic.

After their group discussions, the third-year students started their presentations on the theme, with one from each group explaining to the rest of the class the reasons why he or she was either for or against the idea of English education in primary schools.

After the presentations, Yamamoto praised the students’ efforts, saying, “You thought your explanations through in a very logical way.”

Full story...

Teaching English in Japan using rage comics
By Josh Wolford, WebPronews.com

November 2, 2011—Spawned from the depths of 4chan, perfected on the pages of reddit, and now coming to a classroom near you?

If you’re unfamiliar with rage comics, think of them as cartoons using an ever-growing set of Internet memes. Various faces and other crudely-drawn representations are used to express certain feelings – anger, shock, defeat, surprise, pleasure, success, horror. Initially, a rage comic was based around a certain rage character – the f7u12 guy (or fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu guy). Something would happen, and rage guy would be very upset by it. Nowadays, “rage comic” encompasses any comic made with a series of these drawings, no matter if it includes rage guy or not.

Want a look into the world of rage comics? Check out the subreddit /r/fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu, the biggest collection of rage comics on the Internet. You might want to browse the face database, to figure out what they all mean.

The rage comic has a plethora of uses. Seriously. There is no emotion – no situation great or insignificant that cannot be expressed with a thoughtfully constructed rage comic.

And one teacher has decided to use them in his classroom.

Scott Stillar teaches English at the University of Tsukuba in Japan. He thinks that rage comics are a great way to teach the English language.

“Rage comics are special because at their core they consist of well known faces or expressions,” Stillar told the Daily Dot, “which are meant to show universal emotions of varying degrees under a wide variety of circumstances.”

Full story...

New state laws taking effect January 1
    
RIDGECREST, California, December 30, 2011—When Californians welcome in the New Year, new education and child-safety laws go into effect in 2012.

Under the new law, effective Jan. 1, 2012, undocumented students attending the California State University, the California Community Colleges or the University of California who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition are eligible to receive scholarships derived from nonstate funds received.

As of Jan. 1, 2013, AB131 amends the Donahoe Higher Education Act, to require the trustees of the California State University and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and request the University of California regents to establish procedures and forms that enable such students to apply for, and participate in, all student-aid programs administered to the full extent permitted by federal law, except as provided. This provision would apply to the University of California only if the regents, by appropriate resolution, act to make it applicable.
This new law enables students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition to apply for, and participate in, any student financial-aid program administered by the state.

The law also requires the Student Aid Commission to establish procedures and forms that enable those students to apply for, and participate in, all student financial-aid programs administered by the state and prohibits students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition from being eligible for competitive Cal Grant A and B awards unless specified conditions are met.

Full story...

California’s English language learner programs criticized
By Ruxandra Guidi, FronterasDesk.org

SAN DIEGO, December 28, 2011—There are an estimated 1.6 million English learners in California. But only 1 in 10 reached proficiency levels in English last year.

Children from multilingual homes are tested for English proficiency as they begin school, and if they score low, they are placed into English language classes. The problem is, there are no standards for how to best help this population.

“The demographics of the state have changed and are continuing to change,” said Lisa Garcia Bedolla, a professor at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education. “And if we want our students to be successful we have to be able to conceptualize not only students that are monolingual in a home language, but also perhaps bilingual, and that doesn’t necessarily mean they have an English deficiency.”

The U.S. Department of Education recently criticized California’s English learning program, saying it violated students’ civil rights by failing to provide an equal education to non-native speakers.

“There is no one definition of what an English learner is, and in some ways, language development, at least in the classification now, is getting confounded with school readiness and literacy,” said Garcia Bedolla.

Full story...

English proficiency test gets “F” for stress
By Kristen Parker, Futurity.org

MICHIGAN STATE, December 20, 2011—The nationally mandated language proficiency test, given to students whose second language is English, causes psychological stress for children who can least afford it, a new study shows.

Without some major overhaul, the English Language Proficiency Assessment is expected to negatively impact the academic success of the country’s more than 5 million English Language Learners (ELLs, defined as those who speak another language), warn researchers in the journal TESOL Quarterly.

“The test is supposed to measure how well a school teaches English, but the students feel it measures their own abilities and whether they’re a good person,” says Paula Winke, assistant professor of second languages at Michigan State University. “So students often don’t understand why the test is so difficult. They think, ‘Why am I such a failure?’”

Most affected, she says, are kindergarten through second graders, who often haven’t mastered holding a pencil to fill in bubbles or reading long paragraphs silently—skills required to take the ELPA.

Under the federal school improvement initiative No Child Left Behind, ELLs are required to take the ELPA every year—even if they’re bilingual and even if they don’t plan to take English language classes. The test measures students’ ability to speak, write, and read English.

Winke, who began her study after Michigan’s spring 2007 ELPA, gathered data from 267 test administrators, some of whom indicated their students “wished they weren’t Hispanic or Chaldean so they didn’t have to take the test.”

Full story...

State weighs new language training for teachers
By David Riley and Joe O’Connell, MetroWest Daily News
    
MASSACHUSETTS, December 19, 2011—School leaders await details on a major training program for about 40,000 teachers next year in instructing non-English-speaking students, which state education leaders say will likely be a “multi-million dollar investment.”

The U.S. Department of Justice faulted the state earlier this year for inadequately training teachers who work with so-called English language learner students.

Local school leaders said they are still in the dark about what the exact changes will be, but that a growing English language learner population means teachers will need to be better prepared.

“Do we know changes are coming? Yes,” said Anne Higgins, director of the Framingham School Department’s Bilingual Education Department. “But the state office has been very closed mouth as far as having an open dialogue about the impending changes.”

In September, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education directed Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester to come up with a plan to address the problems by February. In a November memo, Chester said the board’s budget committee sees the training as a budget priority for next fiscal year, which begins in July.

While details are still in the works, Chester mentioned a likely multi-million dollar price tag, a sign of the major scale of the program.

“The specific funding need for FY13 will be better known in the months ahead, and the Budget Committee recommends the governor support the funding need in FY13,” Chester wrote to the education board.

Full story...

Opposition dominates charter school hearing
By Matt Byrne, Boston Globe    

SOMERVILLE, December 18, 2011—For a hearing packed with charged opinions, frequent applause, and intense disagreement, Ruth Ronen’s three-minute testimony seemed crystallizing.

Turning to the crowd crammed in the Somerville High School auditorium Wednesday, Ronen, a 42-year-old mother of two, asked opponents of a proposed charter school to stand before state education officials seated on the stage feet away to deliver a message:

Parents in this community do not want the Somerville Progressive Charter School.

“Trust me when I tell you,’’ Ronen said, with scores of supporters clapping and whooping behind her. “There are more parents in our community who couldn’t be here on a Wednesday afternoon.’’

Opposition dominated the proceedings, where Ronen was among a few dozen who testified at the state hearing for the charter school, which has drawn deep fissures in the city’s tight-knit education community.

In recent weeks, galvanized detractors have formed Progress Together for Somerville, a grass-roots group that counts hundreds of parents and educators in its ranks, they said. Many appeared at the hearing, wearing white T-shirts bearing the organization’s name and the credo “Ten schools, one community.’’

Full story...

For bilingual kids, language barriers are higher uptown
By Lina Zeldovich, TheUptowner.org

NEW YORK, December 19, 2011—Katerina Melitsopoulou, an Inwood speech therapist, sits on a small red chair with four-year-old Brenda Alcantara, imitating everything from leaping monkeys to slithering snakes. As they act out the “Dear Zoo” book, Melitsopoulou jumps up pointing at the ceiling to show that the giraffe is “too tall” and bares her teeth in a roar to depict the lion as “too fierce.” They send every unfit pet back, placing a letter in a shiny red mailbox, until the zoo finally delivers a puppy.

With her next client, three-year-old Billy Sanchez, Melitsopoulou reads “Goodnight Moon,” which she calls “a staple of speech therapy.”  Then they catch multihued fish so Billy learns to pronounce colors.

Both children are bilingual Spanish speakers with speech delays.  It’s not unusual for bilingual kids to speak later than their monolingual peers, but if speech problems are not addressed, they can cause cognitive and social delays, says Catherine Crowley, director of the Bilingual Extension Institute at Columbia University’s Teachers College. “The child will have difficulties in school interacting and comprehending,” she says.

Speech therapists in Washington Heights and Inwood see a definite need for their services, intensified by the fact that many families speak Spanish at home. Children cared for by their grandparents during the day often lack interaction with their English-speaking peers. Some therapists see an increasing demand; others point out that there’s not enough awareness of free programs that could help.  Meanwhile, some parents wouldn’t mind seeing more local therapists to choose from.

Alcantara’s mother, Ana Herrera, who speaks little English, says her daughter was speaking gibberish as a toddler and their pediatrician recommended therapy…

Full story...

For some, learning English is business
By Luis Velarde, Voice of America

WASHINGTON, December 22, 2011—After studying English as a foreign language for more than 10 years in her native Spain, attending summer courses in neighboring England and visiting New York, Washington, D.C. and other U.S. cities on vacation, Lorena Arroyo affirms she still hasn’t mastered the language. 

Arroyo, 28, said she has done everything to improve her understanding and lose her accent, including paying friends $20 per hour to speak English with her.

The irony is that Arroyo works for an English media organization.  She was hired more than two years ago as a web producer and moved to Miami to report on world news for the English media organization’s Spanish-speaking readers. However, not being fluent in English has limited her job opportunities.

“They’re offering correspondent positions and they want candidates to be fluent in Spanish and English. I didn’t apply for them, even if I would have like to, because I’m not bilingual,” she admitted.

Arroyo is part of a class of immigrants who arrived in the United States expecting to beef up their English skills. Ivy League universities, state colleges and private institutions have opened their doors—with newly created English as a foreign language programs—to an influx of students from around the world.

Full story...

2012 US presidential candidates graded on official English

ARLINGTON, Virginia, December 7, 2011 (PRNewswire-USNewswire)—ProEnglish, the nation’s leading advocate of official English, today unveiled its grades for the 2012 presidential candidates.  ProEnglish has ranked the candidates based on their strength of support for preserving the historic role of English as the common, unifying language of the United States.  Over 90% of the world’s nations have an official language, but the U.S. is not one of them.

ProEnglish Executive Director Robert Vandervoort said, “We think that voters will be surprised, not only by the candidates who earned the top grades, but by those who scored the worst.

“Unfortunately, over half the candidates scored a Grade C or lower, which means that they haven’t focused enough attention on these cultural and fiscal issues that are important to the vast majority of American voters,” said Vandervoort.  According to a May 2010 Rasmussen Reports survey, 87% of likely voters want English to be the official language of the United States.

The grades are based on six different English language assimilation issues, including (1) support for “official English” legislation/laws, (2) repealing federal foreign language voter ballots, (3) opposing amnesty, (4) opposing Puerto Rican statehood without official English, (5) supporting English-on-the-job laws/policies, and 6) favoring the assimilation over the multiculturalism approach.  ProEnglish does not endorse candidates.

“These rankings are not static, so candidates can improve their scores with public statements or by notifying ProEnglish of their clarified positions,” concluded Vandervoort.

Full story...

Parents and teachers don’t see eye-to-eye on merits of language mixing
By Maane Khatchatourian, TheBrooklynInk.com

November 23, 2011—“Maria quiere coffee after class, pero I have to study.”

These ten simple words meaning “Maria wants coffee after class, but I have to study” sound harmless, but are highly contentious when uttered by a student as Park Slope teachers clash with students and their parents on the role of Spanglish in the classroom.

Unlike previous generations of Hispanic immigrants, parents are increasingly allowing the mixing of the two languages and — perhaps surprisingly — education researchers are celebrating the phenomenon.

Recent research findings conclude that the speech practice — known technically as “codeswitching” — doesn’t harm English language skills and may even boost intellectual development. This means that teachers, preoccupied from K-12 on promoting Standard English, may be the ones who are ill-informed.

Evelyn Lopez, Public School 10’s English Language Learner program instructor, said teachers are stricter especially with older students in terms of speaking “pure English” in class.
According to Lopez, past generations of Hispanic immigrants raised their children to either conform completely to American customs by only speaking English or maintain their cultural identity by only speaking Spanish.

“Sometimes parents don’t want them to speak their native tongue,” Lopez said. “They want their children to assimilate to the larger society. Because parents are coming and learning English themselves, they have become more open to bilingualism.”
Parents apparently made the better choice because studies have found that bilingualism is cognitively stimulating. In fact, multilinguals outperform monolinguals academically.

Full story...

Tagalog to be used in election ballots in Nevada district
By Rose-an Jessica Dioquino, GMA News

November 24, 2011—The future election materials in a district in Nevada state in the United States will include Tagalog as one of the featured languages, the Asian Journal said on Wednesday (US time).

According to the Asian Journal report, Harvard Lomax, election registrar of Clark County said “all aspects of the election will now have a Tagalog option including the voting screen, printed ballot, and other materials.”

The announcement came months before the US presidential elections in 2012.

Lomax’s office “reached out to the Filipino community last week” for assistance, after the US Census department told them to incorporate a language option for “the county’s large Filipino population” in future election ballots, it added.

The latest Census showed that Filipinos make up the largest Asian subgroup in Clark County—the largest district in Nevada.

Lomax said this move would be “quite a challenge” for his office because no one in his team knows how to speak, write, or understand Tagalog.

His office is now looking for an Election Operations Specialist who can fluently use both English and Tagalog, he added.

“What we want to do is go out and work with you all to make sure this is a successful program and that we serve you and your community to make sure [that] it will be easier for you to vote,” he said.

Full story...

Demand for French education surges in Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS, November 17, 2011 (AP)—The wave of Hispanics who flooded the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina doesn’t appear to have dampened Louisiana families’ demand for their children to get a French education.

There’s a waiting list at all 29 of the state’s public French immersion programs, and this year at least one school — the International School of Louisiana in New Orleans — received more applications for its French program than ever before.

Demand for Spanish language education remains strong, both for local use and as a language of inter-American commerce. But even some Spanish-speakers are seeking French language education for their children.

Gayle Perez, a New Orleans native who grew up speaking Spanish because of her Ecuadorean parents, enrolled her son in ISL’s French program. Now 10 years old, Alejandro Perez, is fluent in English, Spanish and French.

“It was the best thing I could have done for my son,” Perez said. “He’s not just learning a new language. He is learning that there’s another part of the world out there, one that’s not only English-speaking or only Spanish-speaking.”

Perez said she chose French for her son partly because of the language’s place in New Orleans’ history but mostly because of its place in the world. French is spoken in more than 30 countries across the globe, and it is the official language of the United Nations.

Full story...

Medical interpreter mends language barrier gaps
By Cindy Atoji Keene, Boston Globe 

November 15, 2011—Lilia Karapetyan’s first experience with medical interpretation came after the massive earthquake in Armenia in 1988, when devastation ripped through the country. As foreign aid workers arrived to help grapple with the quake’s aftermath, Karapetyan volunteered her services to translate for American doctors and other international English-speaking teams. “Thousands were dying and many more injured; it was hell. Interpreters were needed everywhere. I hope I helped save lives; I just did whatever I could do.”

It was a harrowing experience but one that showed Karapetyan, 54, how her English language skills could be applied in a medical setting. So when she came to America nine years ago and settled in the Watertown-Belmont area, where a large Armenian-American population resides, she said she “was inspired to be a liaison between the community and the American medical system.” Today Karapetyan is an integral part of Mount Auburn Hospital’s Interpreter Services department, translating for Armenian and Russian patients.

Becoming trained as a medical interpreter wasn’t easy for Karapetyan. “It was kind of a shock for me, learning the Greek and Latin terminology,” said Karapetyan, who said that just knowing medical terminology is not enough; the ethics and cultural intricacies of interpretation restrict multicultural conversations inside the hospital. “The interpreter is only the voice of the patient and doctor; you can’t add your own personal emotions, feelings or thoughts, otherwise the doctor doesn’t know if it’s the interpreter speaking or the patient.”

Full story...

Fresno hearing seeks reform for English learners
By Heather Somerville, The Fresno Bee
        
FRESNO, California, November 1, 2011—More than a million California students may never go to college because they are not fluent in English, despite years of instruction. More than 900,000 won’t graduate high school because of the language barriers.

The woeful results of the state's attempt to educate “English-learners” – students whose native language is not English – was the focus of a legislative hearing Tuesday at Fresno Unified School District headquarters.

State Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, chose Fresno as the second stop on his statewide tour to push for reforming education for English-learners. Fresno's schools – with large numbers of immigrant and low-income students – face some of the greatest challenges in the state, he said.

“We are failing the English-learners today,” Padilla said.

Schools are under pressure from state lawmakers and district administrators to train teachers better in how to teach students who are learning English. In turn, educators have pushed lawmakers to change policies that they say impede their ability to help immigrant students and their parents.

California schools get about $1.2 billion in federal and state money to help their 1.45 million English learners. But educators want more flexibility in spending that money.

Full story...

English proficiency levels vary among teaching assistants
By Liz Farmer, DailyTexanonline.com

November 3, 2011—To work as a teaching assistant, most international graduate students have to pass an English assessment, but language still creates a disconnect in UT classrooms.

Graduate students who earn a low but passing score can serve as TAs if they take a teaching and culture class over the course of their first teaching semester, said Michael Smith, director of English as a Second Language Services in the International Office. Smith said out of UT’s 600 international graduate students, about 420 passed the English language assessment and about 120 passed conditionally.

“We work with departments and find out the typical interactions they have in class,” Smith said. “Those who fail have to retake the test before they would be allowed to go back in the classroom.”

Smith said if most student-to-TA interaction will be in another language, the international graduate student does not have to take the assessment, but he or she does have to complete an online workshop about the University’s academic atmosphere.

“We don’t really care if they speak English, but we do care about their intercultural communication,” Smith said.

Full story...

English learners: Chalkboard on the rise in county schools
By Kathryn Schiliro, MorganCountyCitizen.com

November 3, 2011—Upon her entrance, the classroom seems a bit daunting to Laura Rodriguez.
She gathers her courage, moves to the front of the crowd seated on the floor, takes a seat among the colored tiles and, quietly at first, shyly, begins reading—in Spanish.

But “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” is a familiar tale, the Kindergarteners are learning Spanish and teacher Shelly Ewing is helping the class follow along with Miss Laura by using an English version of the same story.

“Caliente!” Kindergarteners reply when asked about Goldilocks’ porridge.

“This is the part where she tries out all the chairs,” Ewing tells the class. “How do we say ‘bear’ in Español?”

“Oso!” the class replies. They also know “Muy bien!” and “Gracias!” and “Adios!”

“These words are in English in this book, and these words are in Spanish in this book, but our books are the same story,”  Ewing says.

Then, asked if anyone wanted to address Miss Laura in Spanish, one boy simply yells out, “Azul!”

Laura looks at him questioningly, then at the teacher.

“He just wanted to say ‘blue,’” Ewing replies.

Full story...

Petitions to SHRC need not be in English, says Kakru

HYDERABAD, December 24, 2011—Petitioners approaching the State Human Rights Commisison (SHRC) on Friday with their pleas in Telugu were turned away by officials, asking them to translate the petitions into English before submitting them.

Sources in the commission said the language problem that surfaced for petitioners within a day of Nisar Ahmad Kakru taking over as SHRC chief would be a reality at the office now.

Though the commission is supposed to accept petitions written in Telugu, Hindi or English, on Friday officials of the commission were insisting on petitions written only in English and even turned away a couple of petitioners in this regard.

The commission receives about 80 petitions a day which includes those sent by mail and by hand. Of these, at least 75% petitions are in Telugu.

“My petition was not accepted as it was in Telugu,” said a petitioner who had come to the SHRC office on Friday afternoon, but did not wish to be identified. “So far, the earlier SHRC chiefs have been well-versed in Telugu and the petitions did not require translation. But now since chief does not understand Telugu, petitions have to be translated into English, a huge task that need additional manpower,” said a source, adding that while the instruction may have not come from the top, the officials to avoid their headache of translating each petition have passed it on to the petitioners.

Full story...

Chinese is the new English
The New Indian Express

HYDERABAD, December 21, 2011—Having a flair for languages is not everybody’s cup of tea. Some take to it very well while some don’t even get a word of the language no matter how hard they try. Nonetheless, foreign languages have started gaining popularity among youngsters mostly through movies and music initially. Now, thanks to globalisation, foreign languages offer more opportunities and an extra edge to youngsters in their rat race for that elusive lucrative job.

It seems there is a sudden interest among people in the city to learn the Mandarin script, for many reasons, one of them being China’s lead in the race to become the next super power. With the global business focus shifting from the West to China, India may well lose its edge as the largest pool of English speaking population. But alternately, it may well be the largest supplier of Chinese-cum-English speaking skilled employees! From schools to universities, private institutions and corporate offices, everybody appears to be in a hurry to speak the Dragon’s language.

“I love learning Mandarin. It looks like it’s difficult, but it is very easy to learn,” says Abha Singh, a Class V student of Rockwell International School, who has been learning Chinese since June this year. “I think it’s great fun and when I am conversing in Chinese, most of my friends don’t understand what I speak. So, I have an advantage over them,” she laughs.

Subash Boda, chairman and managing director of Rockwell International School believes that kids can learn up to seven languages. “I think it is very important that kids learn different languages at this age as they can register them very well. Chinese is ranked as the 6th most spoken language in the world. So, not just personally, but it well help them even career-wise…”

Full story...

Congress hiding failures behind English, party leader says
By Atiq Khan, TheHindu.com

Without entering into a direct confrontation and without naming Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party leader and Mulayam Singh’s son Akhilesh Yadav took a dig at the Amethi MP and said the Congress should start campaigning in English.

The English language and computer issues were being raised (by Rahul) to cover up the Congress’ failure and shortcomings at all levels, said Mr. Yadav.

The Congress general secretary, who is on a five-day Jan Sampark Yatra in Uttar Pradesh, had criticised Mr. Mulayam Singh in Badaun and Shahjahanpur for opposing English and computers but not hesitating to send his son, Akhilesh, to study abroad.

Mr. Yadav, who started the eighth phase of his Rath Yatra from the Shahjahanpur by-pass on Friday, addressed three well-attended meetings in the Mohamdi, Kasta and Gola Assembly constituencies in Kheri district. Even as he assailed the Mayawati government on the issues of corruption and price rise, it was the Congress which was the focus of his attack. He said the SP (read Mulayam Singh) was never against English and computers but wanted Hindi and other Indian languages given more respect.

Getting into a dialogue with the people at Mohamdi, Mr. Yadav asked how many of them knew English. Before they could reply, he said only one per cent and the crowd nodded in agreement.

“The Congress wanted to promote English, whereas the SP wants to promote Hindi and Urdu, and now the computer software is also available in the two Indian languages,” he said.

Full story...

India offers English stepping stone to east Asian students
By Maseeh Rahman, Guardian Weekly

December 6, 2011—Jinju, often described as South Korea’s most beautiful city, is an education hub, with many high schools, community colleges and universities. It seems strange, therefore, for a teenager from the city to leave his parents and study in a boarding school in an alien land thousands of kilometres away from home.

Yet this is just what Sang Hyeon Cho, an 18-year-old 11th-grade student at the Woodstock School in Mussoorie, northern India, is doing.

He is not alone. There are hundreds of east Asian, especially South Korean, children enrolled in schools across India, pining for home food while persevering with their studies.

And the reason for their extraordinary conduct can be summed up in what to them is almost a magical word: English.

“A large part of Asia now sees English as an important vehicle for economic advancement,” said Abhrajit Bhattacharjee, development director at Woodstock. “Our ESL [English as Second Language] programme is a very big factor in wooing students to the school.”

Woodstock, nestling in the Himalayan foothills, has 63 students from Korea. It also has 14 Thai, nine Vietnamese, seven Japanese and two Taiwanese boarders, all enticed by the same dream: learning English.

South Korea’s embassy in Delhi records 1,100 boys and girls studying in 43 schools across India. The number was even higher three years ago.

Full story...

No English or know English, does it really matter?
By Vidya Iyengar & Aishhwariya Subramanian, DNA India
 
BANGALORE, December 3, 2011(DNA)—Is English really the root cause of academic problems?

Hywel Coleman, editor of Dreams and Realities: Developing Countries and the English Language, and senior research fellow at the University of Leeds, said it can affect the cognitive ability of students if they are instructed in a language alien to their upbringing.

The researcher voiced his concern over English-medium schools and the quality of education imparted by them.

“It can be damaging if English is used as medium of instruction at a primary level, when it is not spoken at home. If you ask children to go to school for the first time and study arithmetic through a language they are not familiar with, it is simply not conducive to learning. Cognitive ability is lost,” he said during a lecture in the city on Friday.

He expressed his misgivings on the involvement of parents as well.

“Parents will be unwilling to go to school when they can’t speak English and will not be able to play a role in their child’s education,” he said.

But not all agree with Coleman. For Mansoor Ali Khan, secretary of the Delhi Public School, language is simply not a formidable barrier.

“Children pick up languages quickly, and it really doesn’t turn into a problem. Students are able to incorporate what they are taught at school once they are over three years of age. Over time, with sufficient interaction and teaching aids, students will be conversant in English even if their parents are not competent,” he explained, adding that students’ backgrounds do not compute when it comes to their learning curve.

Full story...

Gujarat High Court wants reply on changes in school exam languages

AHMEDABAD, December 9, 2011 (TNN)—The Gujarat high court has sought explanation from the state government for making it compulsory for higher secondary students studying in mediums other than English, Gujarati and Hindi to take their board exams in these three languages only. The new rules prohibit such students to take the exam in the medium of their learning other than these three languages.

A bench of acting chief justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and justice J B Pardiwala asked the government to explain the issue on the basis of a PIL filed by the convener of civic rights organization Jan Sangharsh Manch, Shamshad Pathan.

A government resolution was passed on May 3 amending the rules of Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Certification Examination. With the new rules, during exams, students of Standard X in mediums like Urdu, Sindhi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya etc. will be given question papers in English/Hindi/Gujarati only. The students can answer the paper in their own respective languages.

For students of Standard XII with regional languages as their medium, the schools will be providing question papers in English/Hindi/Gujarati, and students will also be required to answer the papers in only these three languages and not in the medium, they are taught.

On July 11, the education secretary intimated schools that they should be conducting exams in 2012 as per the amended rules. Many schools made representations against this in August, but the government did not reply…

Full story...

Tamil Nadu varsities to get foreign language labs

CHENNAI, December 8, 2011(TNN)—Soon state universities in Tamil Nadu will have foreign language labs to help students learn English, French, German and Chinese, among other languages. This is one of the five initiatives proposed by the government to modernize universities and meet global standards.

The higher education department has called for proposals from 14 state universities, including the University of Madras, Anna University and Madurai Kamaraj University, with regard to setting up smart classrooms with video conferencing facilities, a curriculum development cell, entrepreneurship-cum-skill development centre, foreign language laboratories and visits by foreign faculty. The state has allotted cash to 10 of the universities.

“These initiatives will help us to update our curriculum to make it more application oriented. The foreign language laboratories will help students improve communication skills, while visits by foreign faculty will help our campuses become globalised,” said University of Madras vice-chancellor G Thiruvasagam.

“Of the recommendations and improvements made by and to the board of studies only 50% are carried out. Even among autonomous colleges only 10 make necessary changes to their curriculum. A curriculum development cell with suggestions from foreign faculty could provide valuable inputs,” he said.

He said that the university had done some spade work in these areas but could not progress further because of lack of funds. The university has set up a committee to work on the proposal.

Full story...

Englishman trashes myths about English

BANGALORE, December 2, 2011 (TNN)—The importance of English can be exaggerated but it can be damaging if it is used as medium of instruction when it is not the mother tongue of the child. These are no activist’s remarks but warnings from an Englishman, an academic and globally acclaimed researcher at that. At a talk on whether English language skills pay economic and social dividends organized by British Council at Mount Carmel College here on Thursday, British academic Hywel Coleman, an Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the School of Education, University of Leeds, highlighted the pros and cons of using English in a country where it’s not the mother tongue.

“English is an important language. But it’s not the only international language. It’s easy to exaggerate its importance . We need to calm down,”' said Coleman. Quoting an Australian academic, Coleman cited the example of how Africa remains poor as people have no access to education, health, opportunities and governance in their own language.

Pointing at various studies on the matter, he said: “Some studies say there is no impact; migration studies point out that there’s a higher income for people with better knowledge in English; analysis of data from Indian human development survey 2005 said it applies only to younger and higher educated people.”

Though English is a link language and holds the key to employment, mobility and various opportunities, it’s not the end, Coleman said.

Full story...

English learning to be a child’s play in government schools

JAIPUR, November 21, 2011(DNA)—State Institute of Educational Research and Training (SIERT) has prepared a new syllabus for English language to be taught in classes I to VIII, from next academic session. The syllabus has been prepared with the help of ICICI foundation and aims at making English easy for the students.

The state government had introduced English textbook for class VIII developed by NCERT, called Honeydew, in all schools of Rajasthan in current academic session. However, it was felt that the NCERT textbooks would be too difficult for the students. “For long, the need of interactive English teaching was felt and this new syllabus is an attempt to make English simpler and understandable for students,” said an official of SIERT.

Therefore, the education department felt the need for the initiation of a new methodology to teach English in order to raise the standards of English teaching and learning in the state. The new syllabus will also include an audio support, consisting of rhymes and stories for listening, where children will listen just for pleasure, not overtly doing any language-related work. It's been felt that listening and speaking are two areas to be stressed upon to learn English by the students of the state. “These kinds of activities will make students comfortable with language and they will be able to understand the words clearly when somebody speaks English in front of them,” informed the official.

The new syllabus will prepare the students for new kinds of jobs, like that of BPOs. “Once the students become comfortable with the language, schools can train them for high paid jobs in BPOs,” informed Mohal Lal Bendara, deputy director elementary education…

Full story...

Lack of English proficiency contributes to high failure rate in Namibia                                      

July 8, 2011—About 100 linguistics experts from all over the world are attending the annual Poetics and Language Association (PALA) Conference which is currently taking place at the Polytechnic of Namibia in the capital.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Education Minister, Dr Abraham Iyambo, said English is being taught from the cradle to the grave in many parts of the world.

“But this teaching must be done properly by trained teachers. The teaching of English should not be at the exclusion or neglect of indigenous languages. Do we have these trained teachers? I do not think that we have them in enough numbers in Namibia. Is it obvious that proficiency in the English language will enable learners to perform better in other subjects because these subjects are taught and written in English,” he said.

Iyambo added that it is a fact of life that if learners have deficient English language reading, writing, listening and speaking skills; then they will not understand those subjects written and taught in English.

According to Iyambo, the strident call for the introduction of Science and Mathematics will remain just that, unless equally vocal measures are taken to improve the teaching of English in educational institutions.

Full story...

Learning English remains a hard nut to crack

JEDDAH, December 16, 201(Arab News)—Nobody can underestimate or belittle the significance of English as a global or universal language. It is a powerful means of communication and interaction for people all over the world that helps them not only to interact with each other but also with finding a job, doing business, undertaking foreign trips, taking examination, doing research, surfing the Internet and so forth.

Despite being among the most widely spoken and understood languages, English has not yet acquired its customary omnipresent status in Saudi society, where all official work is carried out in Arabic.

Even though the Saudi government is making every effort to promote learning English as a second language at its schools and universities in addition to extending all financial and logistic support to establish this language for over 80 years ever since the Kingdom’s foundation in 1927, is it has not rooted itself yet in society.

There are more than 800 study hours devoted to teaching English from the first grade of intermediate school up to the final year of secondary school. Even then, the standard of English learning is still at the lowest level globally. Most students who graduate from universities are not in a position to speak fluently or write even a letter or paragraph in English.

A report, carried by Al-Riyadh Arabic daily, shed light on this issue and examined the viewpoints of prominent academics and educational figures in addressing this issue.

Dr. Hassan Sindi, member of the academic faculty at Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz University, said most of the students enrolled at the university during his 20-year stint as a computer science teacher, were very poor in their English.

“They were not even in a position to speak a few words in English. Needless to say, I experienced difficulty in getting them acquired with the technical terms and programs in computer science that are all in English,” he said while drawing attention to the poor English language command of even those holding higher academic positions at the university.

Full story...

South Korean parents told: pre-school English “harmful”
By Max de Lotbinière, Guardian Weekly

November 8, 2011—Parents in South Korea who put their pre-school-age children into English language classes are wasting their money and could be slowing their educational development.

This is the message that an education pressure group, World Without Worries About Private Education, is trying to get across in a society where pressure to attain exam success has created a boom in private tuition and growing numbers of English language classes for kindergarten-aged children.

World Without Worries has distributed 200,000 copies of its latest booklet, What a Waste – Private English Education, in an attempt to change opinion about early-year language classes and convince parents that their children are likely to acquire more English if they start learning later.

The 36-page booklet assesses 12 common misconceptions about the value of starting English learning early with contributions from education experts, commentators and parents.

Research carried out in 2009 estimated that South Koreans spent over $18bn annually on private education, mostly delivered by hagwon, or cram schools. The government estimates that there are 95,000 hagwons and up to 84,000 private tutors. Hagwons open their doors at the end of the school day and children are often enrolled in classes late into the night.

Kim Seung-hyun, World Without Worries’s policy director, says the demand for additional private tutoring is driven by competition to gain scarce places in the country’s best universities, but parents are badly informed about its value.

“We think much of private education is useless and sometimes even harmful to children,” Kim said. “We try to make parents calm down and save their money and effort. That's the reason we’ve published this booklet.”

Full story...

English Language Council to be formed to set standard

KUALA LUMPUR, December 31, 2011—The English Language Council will be formed next year to set the standard for English proficiency of school students, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

“When we say that a student’s English is good, what does that mean? What’s  the yardstick? So, for this purpose, we are thinking of forming the English Language Council to set the benchmark for the standard of English used in Malaysia,” said Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister.

He said currently, there was no such body established, except for a special task force in the Education Ministry that gauged the level of English language proficiency achieved by school students and which also referred to outside experts when setting examination papers.

“The government does not want to be blissfully thinking that our English  proficiency at the school level has reached international standard as some people say that Malaysians’ standard of English is still low.”

Muhyiddin said this after making a surprise visit to Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, here, yesterday to look at its preparations for the 2012 school session which begins next week.

Full story...

English is a shared priority
By Zazali Musa, TheStar.com.my

JOHOR BARU, Johor Baru—It was a day likely to be cherished by 60 underprivileged secondary students who are undergoing a two-year English language programme in Johor Baru.

They received a special guest, United States (US) Ambassador to Malaysia Paul Jones who came all the way from Kuala Lumpur to meet them.

Jones presented certificates to the students who are under the English Access Microscholarship Programme.

The two-year after school English language programme is an initiative by the US Embassy in collaboration with ELS Language Centres Malaysia.

“English is the common language that unites people from the two countries and access to a high quality education is a value shared by the US and Malaysia,” said Jones.

He said he hoped the students would be more confident in using English daily after completing the programme.

Jones also said that with better spoken and written English, students would enhance their opportunities for higher education and exchange programmes in the US, which could help further strengthen relationship between the two countries.

“There are more than 5,000 colleges and universities in the US to choose from for Malaysians planning to study there, and our educational counselors will assist them in making their choices,” he said.

Full story...

Malaysia to study Australia model for effective English teaching

PERTH, December 10, 2011—The Education Ministry will study Australia’s intensive English language course with a view to making it a model in strengthening the teaching of the language in Malaysia, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.

Describing Australia’s model as a good example, Muhyiddin said the ministry would look into whether it was in line with Malaysia’s policy on upholding the Malay language and strengthening the command of English.

Muhyiddin, who is Education Minister, said based on Australia’s experience, the ministry would look into the possibility of adding more contents to the English language subject at the pre-school level, for a start.

“If possible, we want to have a period where English is taught in an intensive manner. So we are looking at whether we can start this at the pre-school level because this is the time, when the children are still small, that they are able to pick up the language easily.

“That is for a start and after that, when they enter formal schooling, we will study whether we need to implement another round of intensive programme at Year Three or Year Four level,” he told reporters after attending a closed-door briefing by Western Australia Education Department, here yesterday.

Full story...

Laureate: BM and English important
By Han Kar Kay, TheStar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN, November 20, 2011—There should not be any quarrel over the Malay and English languages as both are important in the development of education in the country.

“Bahasa Malaysia is our national language while English is a world language that will enhance our knowledge of things.

“Therefore, the two languages should go along together,” said national laureate Prof Emeritus Dr Muhammad Salleh, when interviewed by The Star here yesterday.

He also advocates the introduction of more languages into the education system, such as Mandarin which is expected to be a major world language within 20 years.

He added: “Besides, language contains a library of knowledge through oral dispersion.”

Dr Muhammad, 69, from Bukit Mertajam, is among the five writers and poets who will showcase their works at the George Town Literary Festival 2011 that opens on Nov 26 at the E&O Hotel and the China House (an artspace, cafe and restaurant) at Victoria Street.

His latest book Bila Terkenang Zaman Dahulu: Pantun Pulau Pinang will be launched at the event.

Sourced from oral and written archives of Penang and written by Penangites from different backgrounds, the 300-page book contains more than 1,200 pantun (poems),

Full story...

Handy teaching aid
By Edmund Ngo, TheStar.com.my

November 20, 2011—Despite 19 years of teaching experience, Uma Baskaran faced a tough challenge this year in SJK(C) Poi Lam, Ipoh. She was literally lost for words as she was unable to help her pupils fully comprehend text passages in the English language.

“I could only use Bahasa Malaysia or English, which would take a longer time for them to understand,” she said.

All is not lost however with the introduction of Step Up, an English language pullout by The Star specially designed for Chinese primary schools. The pullout, which was introduced in January this year, is used as an important teaching aid in the language.

“I had previously only heard about The Star’s NiE (Newspaper-in-Education) pullout, so I was very surprised to hear of another pullout specifically for Chinese primary schools. I’m pleased to see that it has interesting contents too.

“A vital point in the pullout is that it is in line with the syllabus that we are required to teach. This is not the case with other teaching aids,” Uma said.

She also noted that the pullout caters to differing levels of English proficiency, as the language used does not discourage weak pupils. There is also interesting content to keep the academically inclined pupils challenged as the pullout also features puzzles and word games that generate excitement and keep pupils’ interest levels up.

Full story...

Mastering English in Kuching

KUCHING, November 13, 2011—It’s not to the United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand that a growing number of foreign parents are sending their children to study the English language.

Rather, and quite surprisingly, it’s Sarawak on the island of Borneo that is preferred by the parents concerned.

There is a small but steadily growing community of Korean students in Kuching. Many of them are boarding with relatives while their parents remain in Korea. There are also those who are accompanied by their mothers for their study here.

The students cited cheaper tuition fees and Sarawak’s proximity to their home country as the reasons for their parents’ decision to send them to study at the English Language Academy (ELA) in Kuching. Moreover, they said, the quality of tuition there is excellent.

Many of the students are taking language classes before joining international schools to continue their secondary education.

For 13-year-old Karen Kim Yung Won, the high standard of English taught at the Academy has helped to improve her fluency in the language tremendously.

“I used to struggle with the grammar and find the different parts of speech and tenses confusing but after taking the English classes, I now have a better understanding,” she said.

Full story...

Science and maths must be taught in English, say educators
By YU JI, TheStar.com.my

KUCHING, November 6, 2011—Some of Sarawak’s top educationists are calling for English to remain as the language of instruction for Science and Mathematics in public schools.

They say the importance of English as a global language must not be denied and the education policy should be left to professionals and not politicians.

Sarawak Teachers Union president William Ghani Bina said that students in China, France and Germany – which like Malaysia have their own national languages – were all taught to improve in English proficiency.

The outspoken unionist said that Malaysia, as a developing country that needed more professionals in the scientific field, ought to accept the fact that English was the language of academia.

“If our Government says it wants students to be globalised, then English has to be important,” Ghani told The Star.

“Definitely, the standard of English is presently very low. Most importantly, we need well-trained teachers. I always make it a point to stress that English teachers should be local teachers who better understand local needs.”

On the Government’s insistence that the teaching of Science and Maths should be reverted to Bahasa Malaysia, Ghani said: “Well, if they have decided on that, there’s nothing much we can do, as long as something is done to genuinely improve the English standard at the same time.”

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Prof Madya Dr Andrew Aeria, who specialises in Political Science, said the Government had neglected the teaching of English over the past two decades.

Full story...

“Both English and Chinese are vital,” says former Singapore PM

SINGAPORE, October 8, 2011—Former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said that, if young Singaporeans give up the Chinese language, they will have lost something valuable.

Mr. Lee noted that, while English has given Singapore access to the world, the Chinese language is equally important for cultural and pragmatic reasons.

He was speaking at a dialogue with 4,000 Chinese businessmen at the 11th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention last night.

Speaking in both English and Mandarin during the hour-long dialogue, Mr. Lee answered a wide range of questions, including one on the country’s bilingual policy.

Acknowledging that the bilingual policy was one of the toughest policies he had to implement, Mr. Lee stressed the need for young Singaporeans to be proficient in both languages.

“Everyone knows you got to do English, otherwise you won’t get on in Singapore, you won’t get on with international companies and so on.

“And Chinese is also a must because if you haven’t got that, you wouldn’t have the self-confidence you should have as a Chinese and, secondly, you can’t take advantage of the rise of China.”

Full story...

Raising bilingual children
By Varisa Kamalanavin, PhD, Bangkokpost.com

November 29, 2011—Pongrapee Tachapahapong and his wife are native Thai speakers. But they decided to raise their daughter to be bilingual, speaking Thai and English. Today, more than 16,000 parents are following their linguistic path

Peipei is a six years old. She can speak, read and write Thai and English quite well for someone her age. Such ability is fairly common among children whose parents speak more than their native language. In that sense Peipei is no ordinary bilingual child as both her parents are native Thai speakers while English is their foreign language.

It all began five years ago when Pongrapee Tachapahapong, Peipei’s father, found an inspiring passage in a Japanese book authored by Masaru Ibuka and translated into Thai under the title Kwa Ja Ruu Kor Sai Sia Laew, or “kindergarten is too late.” The book completely changed his perspective towards learning English as a second language.

In the book the author had noted the most suitable period for linguistic and cognitive development of a child were from the time they were nine months to three years old. And Pongrapee set himself the goal to raise Peipei to be bilingual in Thai and English.

The family chose the One Parent One Language (OPOL) system, one of the most practical and well-recognised strategies for raising bilingual children in which each parent speaks one language to their child –Pongrapee speaks English to Peipei, while his wife speaks Thai to her at all times…

Full story...

Thailand “off target” with language teaching plans
By Max de Lotbinière, Guardian Weekly

November 9, 2011—Ambitious plans to increase English language teaching in Thailand’s schools are at risk because of a shortage of funds and qualified teachers, a senior education official has admitted.

Watanaporn Ra-ngubtook, director of the English language teaching strategy within the education department responsible for primary education, told the Nation newspaper that a plan to increase the number of students studying in special English programmes in over 200 schools was at risk because schools were struggling to recruit qualified teachers.

In July the Office of the Basic Education Commission announced that English language teaching hours would be increased and that an initiative in selected schools to teach maths and science in English, the English Bilingual Education programme, would be expanded.

But Watanaporn said that a strategy to recruit native-English-speaking teachers from abroad to teach English and other curriculum subjects was at risk.

“The schools cannot import only native English speakers, as it is difficult to find ones who have all the required qualifications. Some are good in English but not good in maths and science,” she said.

Full story...

Jobseekers keen on brushing up English
By Chen Jia and Li Yao, China Daily                           

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhuanet)—LLuo Yi, a 28-year-old Beijinger, has just cleared one of the major hurdles for his planned career move next year—the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

“It is not for overseas study or an immigration application. I need it to bargain for better pay,” he said.

“A good proficiency in English is necessary if you want to be promoted to a management post in most companies in China,” he added.

Besides those who want to go abroad for further study, Luo is among the increasing number of Chinese who are taking the test to improve their English skills in the hope that it will help them succeed in job interviews.

“We used to focus on people planning to study overseas, but market research found that professionals hoping to improve their office English are also our potential clients,” said Mou Mingming, the public relations manager at EF China, a private company that specializes in language training, educational tours and cultural exchanges.

“Originally, IELTS was very much focused on people going overseas to study, but we have noticed more people use IELTS for other reasons now,” James Shipton, director of exam services at the British Council in China, told China Daily.

“Many employees have found IELTS are useful way to measure or motivate their staff, because IELTS is a communication test,” he said.

Full story...

Euro edition of China Daily reaps glory at international awards

LONDON, December 12, 2011—China Daily’s European edition has received two prestigious UK journalism awards in the past week.

On Friday, China Daily European Weekly won the Plain English Campaign award in the international media category at a glittering ceremony in Liverpool.

Three days earlier, the UK’s Association of Circulation Executives (ACE) also gave the publication its “Launch of the Year” award.

It is the first time a Chinese media organization has won either of the awards.

For the Plain English Campaign award, the European edition of China’s largest and oldest English-language newspaper was hailed for its “clear communication of business news to a global audience.”

It was one of the eight media winners announced at the group’s 32nd awards ceremony, alongside other prizes for the best and worst use of the English language.

“China Daily recognizes the importance that the English language plays in facilitating better communication and understanding between different people and cultures,” said Vincent Fan, deputy general manager of China Daily UK Co Ltd.

“That is why China Daily was launched 30 years ago as an English-language newspaper. The fact that English is not our native language makes winning the International Media Award all the more special.”

Full story...

Firm eager to meet nation’s steady demand for English
By Wang Hongyi, China Daily

SHANGHAI, December 8, 2011—When Shanghai schools reopened for a new season in September, 30 government officials were among the students preparing to take courses.

The officials, most of them either deputy district or deputy bureau chiefs, were at the school honing their English in pursuit of Shanghai’s goal of becoming an international financial hub.
Paul Blackstone, the chief executive of Wall Street English China, which provides training in English, said he sees nothing unusual in the officials’ interest in the language. He said he has seen many changes in the Chinese demand for English training in the past decade.

The language has lost none of its importance during that time. The characteristics of those who are learning it, though, have become more diverse, said Blackstone, who manages more than 55 Wall Street English centers in Beijing, Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Nanjing.

“Ten years ago, most of our students were young business professionals with career needs being the most motivating factor for wanting to improve their English skills, as they used English to conduct trade, to engage in business negotiations, to communicate specialist knowledge to trade partners, to sign contracts and so on,” he said. “Learning English was basically limited to the demands of a relatively small group of people whose job directly required English skills.

“But nowadays everyone has realized that having a high level of English communication skills not only enhances career prospects but is also a sound investment in life. Also, different levels of the Chinese governments and State-owned enterprises are now becoming aware of the importance of the English learning and its role in facilitating trade and relationships…”

Full story...

Traditional approaches to English education should be changed, says minister

June 20, 2011—English language proficiency is considered one of the key elements in developing international competitiveness. Taiwan ranks 25 out of 44 non-native English speaking countries around the world, according to a study by English First, the world's largest private educational institution.

Despite the vast amounts of money spent by the government on English education, the ubiquitous presence of English cram schools and President Ma Ying-jou's pledge to increase the nation's international competitiveness, many college graduates in Taiwan still have difficulty having basic conversations in English despite over a decade of learning English.

Currently all third grade elementary school students and above have regular English classes on a weekly basis. According to the Ministry of Education (MOE), elementary schools can start teaching English from the first grade. However, most schools in Taiwan outside of Taipei and New Taipei have not introduced these programs due to limited resources.

According to the MOE's white paper on international education at local junior high and elementary schools, the ministry hopes to extend English language education to all elementary school students in Taiwan over the next decade. Wu said the ministry has commissioned the National Academy for Educational Research to study the appropriateness of this proposal, although currently there is no specific timeline for the implementation.

Full story...

MHA asks central offices, PSUs and banks to use local language

NEW DELHI, June 18, 2011—All central government offices, Public Sector Undertakings and banks across the country will now write sign-boards and name-plates in the 'second official language' as well, in addition to Hindi and English.

The home ministry taken the decision in order to give due prominence to the 'second official language', which is different in different states and Union Territories.

"The boards, sign-boards, name-plates and directional signs will be written/printed/inscribed/embossed in Hindi (the national language) first (in Hindi speaking states). The order of the other languages including English will be determined by the department concerned or the state concerned," said the home ministry in a statement.

The decision will, however, not affect the “order” in the non-Hindi speaking states. These states will continue to use regional languages, Hindi and English, in that order. The font sizes of the texts of all the languages will be of the same size.

Full story...

Medicare agency to stop talking to immigrants in English

QUEBEC CITY, December 22, 2011—Quebec’s medicare agency is taking steps to reduce the dependence of immigrants on the English language, according to the Canadian Press.

Starting January 30, 2012, the Regie de l’assurance maladie du Quebec (RAMQ) will impose a one-year limit on communicating in English with immigrants, even if their knowledge of the French language is weak.

The change is significant. Currently immigrants who address RAMQ bureaucrats in English have their files automatically marked with a “language code” stipulating that all future communication will be in English.

According to information provided by the Ministry of the French Language (Secretariat a la politique linguistique), nearly one third—31.46 percent—of allophones who settle in Montreal demand and are served in English by RAMQ for their lifetime.

Once the new policy is in place, RAMQ will cease to automatically offer services in English to immigrants one year to the day after their initial contact with the agency, unless explicitly requested by clients.

Lengthy discussions between upper management of the RAMQ, a sub-minister of the Secretariat, and the Office Quebecois de la langue francaise were needed to reach this agreement.

"To have English-language services provided to immigrants for the rest of their lives was unacceptable," said Christine St-Pierre, the minister for the Charter of the French language in an interview earlier this week.

Full story...

Quebec entrepreneurs held back, survey indicates

MONTREAL, December 20, 2011—Quebec’s entrepreneurs are really being held back by the province’s entrepeneurial culture or lack of it and not by language limitations, says the Fondation de l’entrepreneurship.

The Fondation’s 2011 Quebec Entrepreneurship Index survey, in its English-language version, says there are 2.2 times more anglophone entrepreneurs in the province than francophone, and twice as many francophone entrepreneurs in the rest of Canada as in Quebec.

Also native-born Quebecers, whatever their first language, who live and own a business elsewhere in Canada outnumber their Quebec-based counterparts two-to-one.

The index also says 10 per cent of native-born Quebecers aged 35 or over (whatever their first language) who still live in the province are business owners, compared with 21.6 per cent of native Quebecers of the same age who live in Canada.

Shortage of funds, lack of time and administrative, legal and fiscal red tape comprise the real stumbling blocks to creating and growing a business in Quebec, the Index says. But despite the weak entrepreneurial culture in Quebec, more people favour entrepreneurship as a career choice – 62.6 per cent in Quebec and 46.6 per cent in the rest of Canada.

Full story...

Should libraries stick to books?
By Paul Moloney, Toronto Star

TORONTO, November 29, 2011—Toronto’s budget chief questioned Tuesday whether the Toronto Public Library should be in the business of offering popular movies and material not in the English language.

Councillor Mike Del Grande, responding to the furor over proposed cuts to library hours, told reporters Tuesday that library users can access new releases like Pirates of the Caribbean at any of the 98 branches.

“Should the city library become a Blockbuster?” Del Grande said. “Is that what we should be doing? Is that our core program or is that program creep?”

In calling for a debate on library programming, the budget chair said he questions the library’s decision to stock non-English items.

“Are we an international library? What proportion of our budget should go for non-English movies and books, etc.? The argument would be made this is what makes the city great, but I would dare say our common language is English.”

“We’re spending tons of money for ESL. Should we not have a discussion of how much of the library budget should go for non-English resources? And if we are to be an international language library, let’s talk about how we do that. But right now, we are a computer centre, we’re in the movie business, we’re in the circulation business of non-English language programming.”

Councillor Janet Davis, a library board member, defended providing material in other languages spoken by thousands of users.

“Educators around the world recognize that first-language information materials are important for developing literacy,” Davis said. “We know that we need to have a diverse collection at the Toronto Public Library to reflect the diversity of our population.”

Full story...

Francophone radio broadcasters in Canada told to limit use of musical montages
By Nelson Wyatt, The Canadian Press 

MONTREAL, November 24, 2011—The federal broadcast regulator has cracked down on the use of English-language pop music montages on French-language stations.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission made limits on the use of montages a condition of the licence renewal of two stations and warned it could take similar measures with other stations.

The rulings on Thursday don't affect stations in English Canada because they address French-language content.

The CRTC was acting on complaints by three Quebec associations representing composers, promoters and the music and video industries about the montages broadcast by the Quebec stations.

The organizations described the use of the montages as “abusive,” saying the succession of English-language songs that were broadcast almost in their entirety shouldn't be counted as a single selection.

A musical montage is a compilation of a batch of songs played without interruption. It's counted as a single piece of music under federal broadcasting rules.

They can be used to help stations meet their Canadian or French-language content quotas…

Full story...

Canada’s bilingual? Who are we kidding?
By Marian Scott, The Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL, November 22, 2011—The best thing Stacy Legallee’s parents ever did was to send him to French school.

Now 47 and fluent not just in French and English, but also in Spanish, the well-travelled musician and studio engineer says knowing both official languages has enriched his life immeasurably.

“I think, if anything, it’s one of the great assets that Canada has, to declare itself a bilingual country,” said Legallee, who is pursuing a degree in English literature at Concordia University after a 30-year music career.

“That’s why even after years of travelling around and working in different countries, I’m proud to be a Canadian.”

In the 42 years since the federal government adopted the Official Languages Act, many Canadians have come to see bilingualism as the country’s defining trait.

But the recent furor over the appointment of a unilingual federal auditor-general and the revelation that two executives at the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec can’t speak French have highlighted the cracks in Canada’s bilingual façade.

A new book raises questions over whether Canada can even lay claim to be a bilingual country.

While many Canadians uphold bilingualism as a quintessential value, that belief is not actually borne out by the proportion of citizens who speak both official languages, according to Life After 40: Official Languages Policy in Canada, edited by Jack Jedwab and Rodrigue Landry (Queen’s Policy Studies Series, McGill-Queen’s University Press). The book is due out next month.

Full story...

Aging Chinatown looks to youth for reinvigoration
By Meghan Potkins, Calgary Herald

CALGARY, November 20, 2011—On the last warm Saturday afternoon of fall, Chinatown is at its best. If you get there early enough, you’ll catch seniors doing tai chi near the Centre Street Bridge. By 9 a.m., students arrive for their Chinese language classes and shoppers follow suit — perusing stalls in the handful of import shops scattered across the small neighbourhood.

It’s a street scene unique to Chinatown and part of the enduring appeal of one of Calgary’s most distinct neighbourhoods — but it’s only part of the story.

Statistics gathered over the past few years show Calgary’s venerable Chinatown, one of the largest and oldest such communities in Canada, is on the decline.

Its population is mostly older and the numbers are decreasing. Part of this is attributed to an exodus of young Chinese migrants to the suburbs, especially those in northwest Calgary such as Edgemont and Dalhousie where those of Chinese descent are more than 30 per cent of the population. Because of those trends, some have expressed concern for the future of Chinatown.

But with almost half of Chinatown’s residents unable to speak English or French, the neighbourhood is a kind of island unto itself — a well-defined linguistic and cultural enclave that is, for the time being, in no danger of disappearing.

Ann Liu is one of those longtime residents. On this day, she descends the staircase of her 2nd Avenue apartment building to meet her translator.

Most of the time, the 67-year-old can manage her daily activities all on her own — walks along the river, grocery shopping and weekly trips to the Chinese church on 39th Avenue.

But today Liu will need to ask for help from the people who work downstairs, because even though she’s lived in Canada for 16 years, Liu doesn’t speak English.

Full story...

Liberals boycott vote on unilingual auditor general

November 3, 2011—A motion to approve Canada’s new auditor general was passed in the House of Commons Thursday, but without the support of the Liberals who staged a boycott and walked out in protest.

The resolution passed 153 to 94 in favour of Michael Ferguson’s appointment.

In a blog, interim Liberal leader Bob Rae said his party opposed the appointment because Ferguson does not speak French.

“How can an Auditor General—whose job it is to protect Canadian taxpayers—do his job effectively if he does not speak French?” Rae wrote.

“And how can this government—that initially stated bilingualism was a requirement for the job—change  the rules on Canadians at the 11th hour just to get their way? Liberals agree: they cannot.”

The resolution will also have to be approved by the Senate.

The 10-year appointment pays an annual salary of $334,500.

Since the Conservatives have a majority in Parliament, the third-place Liberals' boycott is more a symbolic gesture than anything else.

Full story...

Undercover investigation: Ottawa’s ability to provide service in French

OTTAWA, November 1, 2011—CTV Ottawa’s Joanne Schnurr went undercover to find out how well the capital of Canada could provide services in both official languages.

According to Canada's Commissioner of Official Languages, Ottawa businesses don’t fair too well.

“I’ve found it's easier to get an English menu in Barcelona than it is to get a French menu in Ottawa,” said language commissioner Graham Fraser.

Fraser is particularly interested in how comfortable French-speaking Canadians or tourists are with spending time in Ottawa.

So CTV Ottawa’s investigative team scoured the city with a tiny camera hidden inside a pen.

The team went into six restaurants requesting a French menu and none of them could provide one.

Gatineau residents Michel and Micheline Brassard were not surprised by the find. They say service in both languages should be a priority for businesses.

The team did find, however, that wherever they went there was someone on staff who could understand French or if they couldn’t speak it, would try to find someone who could.

At one of the stops, a tourist from Lyon, France said this is a city where you have to speak some English to get around…

Full story...

Vietnam demands English language teaching “miracle”
By Ed Parks, Guardian Weekly

November 8, 2011—More than 80,000 English language teachers in Vietnam’s state schools are expected to be confident, intermediate-level users of English, and to pass a test to prove it, as part of an ambitious initiative by the ministry of education to ensure that all young people leaving school by 2020 have a good grasp of the language.

As part of the strategy, which includes teaching maths in English, officials have adopted the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) to measure language competency.

Teachers will need to achieve level B2 in English with school leavers expected to reach B1, a level below.

But the initiative is worrying many teachers, who are uncertain about their future if they fail to achieve grades in tests such as IELTS and TOEFL.

“All teachers in primary school feel very nervous,” said Nguyen Thi La, 29, an English teacher at Kim Dong Primary School in Hanoi.

“It’s difficult for teachers to pass this exam, especially those in rural provinces. B2 is a high score.”

“All we know is that if we pass we are OK. If we don’t we can still continue teaching, then take another test, then if we fail that, we don't know.”

Full story...

$3.5 million grant awarded for teaching English education in Afghanistan

July 14, 2011—This month, U.S. troops began withdrawing from Afghanistan. Thirty thousand troops are expected to return home by next summer.

Now, as the country begins the process of standing on its own legs, the U.S. State Department has awarded an IU center nearly $3.5 million to help teach English education there.

The $3,487,454 grant will fund a three-year project organized by IU’s Center for Social Studies and International Education.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the American University of Afghanistan will serve as partners for the project, which will be directed by two IU School of Education faculty members.

Its goal is to develop and implement a master’s degree in English language education at Kabul Education University in Afghanistan.

The faculty members, Terry Mason and Mitzi Lewison, have worked with Afghan higher education for a number of years, establishing an education master’s degree at Kabul — the first master’s degree ever offered there — and bringing Afghan educators to study at IU.

Full story...

“Sheng” dims 2011 KCPE performance in main languages

December 30, 2011—A drop in students’ proficiency in English Kiswahili in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations has brought into focus the growing use of “sheng” by students, teachers, corporates and politicians as well as the media.

The 2011 results released this week indicate the overall candidate’s performance in two of the main languages used in the country and in the East Africa region dropped in 2011 compared to 2010, with the Minister of Education, Sam Ongeri, blaming it on increased usage of the slang based language throughout the country.

“Our suspicion is that adulteration of our Kiswahili and even English where even very senior members of our society including top politicians have turned to ‘sheng’ to endear themselves to the youth,” said Professor Ongeri while releasing the examination results.

In the English language exam, students scored an average of 47.1 per cent in 2011 compared to 49.12 per cent the previous year with the highest drop being among female students.

Performance also deteriorated in the English composition paper where candidates scored an average of 42.45 per cent compared to 42.7 per cent in 2010, a uniform drop between male and female students.

The Kiswahili language exam witnessed a drop in performance of 11.3 percentage points to 41.46 per cent compared to 52.76 per cent the previous year but performance improved in the Kiswahili composition paper where students scored an average of 54.68 per cent this year compared to 50.3 per cent last year.

Full story...

Teacher mentors not coming over pay
By Kenneth Agutamba, 
                                         
December 12, 2011—The plan to import 4,000 English language teachers from Kenya has collapsed over pay with the Rwanda Education Board (REB) now resorting to recruit locally.

The Rwanda Focus reported last month that REB had dumped Ugandan teacher trainers for Kenyan mentors but it turned out that the Kenyan government failed to attract jobless teachers to take up the opportunities in Rwanda.

The Rwanda Education Board is now receiving applications from interested individuals following an on-line advertisement. The deadline is December 12.

“Under the Rwanda English in Action Programme (REAP) which provides opportunities for English language improvement to primary and secondary school teachers in support of the transition to English as the medium of instruction, REB invites applications from qualified English Language teachers who are not currently in active education service for selection as national-level English language teacher mentors,” reads the introductory paragraph of the advert.

The minimum qualification is a degree or diploma in English language teaching and fluency in the language. Two years of experience with previous work in teacher mentoring is an added advantage.

The demand for a two-year experience in language teaching could be to mean that the education board is now going back to the former teacher trainers who participated in the previous teacher trainings since 2009.

Full story...

Debate continues over need for native-English teachers in Indonesian schools
By Ronna Nirmala, Jakarta Globe

JAKARTA, December 20, 2011—In the Indonesian education scene, the debate over whether students can more effectively learn English with a local teacher or a native English-speaking one has long been a divisive issue.

As more Indonesian students study abroad and return home fluent in English, education analysts are increasingly making the case that schools no longer need to have native English speakers.

Their advice hinges partly on concerns that some teachers at the country’s language schools are hired simply because they speak English, although they otherwise lack formal teaching or language qualifications.

The schools, in turn, have countered those arguments by pointing to their increasingly stringent teaching requirements.

Andrew Whitmarsh, the national service manager of the Wall Street Institute Indonesia, one of the country’s highest profile English-language schools, says not just any native speaker is allowed to teach there.

“In some instances, we can hire teachers with degrees in applied linguistics or education, as long as they demonstrate an academic focus on English that satisfactorily adheres to the Ministry of Education’s criteria,” he says.

Full story...

Looking for qualified English teachers
By Katarína Koreňová, Spectator.sme.sk

August 1, 2011—The idea of compulsory English in Slovakia’s schools has opened the gates for arguments, both for and against the concept from its very inception. Nevertheless, the Slovak Parliament overrode a presidential veto of the amendment to the Education Act on March 1.

Starting in September this year, English will be mandatory for all incoming third-grade pupils.
Education Minister Eugen Jurzyca has said that his ministry hopes students will master at least one foreign language by the age of 15. In an interview with the weekly .týždeň he argued that “English is the language of experts and to a great extent also of diplomats,” noting that more than half of EU member states have compulsory English in their educational systems. Slovakia is the 14th to take that step.

Opponents of the new legislation do not necessarily disapprove of mandatory English classes. Apart from those who object to what they call the unreasonable preference for English over other foreign languages in the curricula, the most common concern is a lack of qualified educators to teach those classes.

“We do not have enough English teachers, either qualified or unqualified,” says Eva Tandlichová, Professor Emeritus of the Department of British and American Studies at Comenius University in Bratislava, and a recognized expert in the field of teacher training.

Full story...

English tuition needed before tablet PCs are given to pupils
  
August 16, 2011—Education Minister Worawat Ua-apinyakul has encouraged schools of all grades to offer students intensive English courses in preparation for the distribution of tablet PCs.

Since the English language is widely used on the devices, students from all grades should learn more English before the tablets are delivered, planned to be in the next academic year.

During its election campaign, the Pheu Thai Party promised to give a free tablet PC to each Prathom 1 (Grade 1) student under its One Tablet Per Child project.

The promise, however, has drawn criticisms from educators who believe that Prathom 1 children are too young for the PCs. Some critics have also voiced their concern about the inadequacy of digital educational content.

Mr Worawat said the distribution of tablets should not be limited to students at the Prathom 1 level.

"They should be provided to all actually. However, they will be handed out in lots based on the readiness of the digital content and the students themselves," he said yesterday at the second round of the ministry's executive meeting held at the Royal Princess Hotel. The minister insisted the free tablet PCs would be complementary to existing learning via textbooks.

Full story...

English proficiency or attitudes: what are the true barriers?
By Achara Deboonme, The Nation
Published on August 8, 2011

Is Thailand's low English proficiency a barrier to economic expansion?

That was a tough question from a young Thai man who graduated from a university in Sydney.

He asked that question because he is the only one on a eight-person team who has to cover English-related stuff for their magazine.

Statistically, the right answer is "yes." Studies show that in a society where over 90 per cent are literate, few are fluent in English.

Many universities are correcting this by demanding their undergraduate and graduate students to submit their theses in English.

But how can you force someone who doesn't know English to write in the language? Eventually, that requirement just gave extra work to those with a good command of the foreign language.

Given that I was also contacted for help, it's true that many English-language theses are completed by these people, not the students themselves.

That does not surprise me. In my university days, only English majors took more than 60 credits (20 courses) of English.

Full story...

CPIT new centre for Cambridge English Language exams

CHRISTCHURCH, December 21, 2011—CPIT is excited to announce that the institute has been selected as the new Cambridge English Examination Centre for Christchurch, with the aim of becoming a hub for Cambridge enrolments as Canterbury enters into full rebuild mode.

“Cambridge sees huge potential in CPIT providing English skills to the many workers who will be employed in the rebuilding, as well as supporting the other professionals who will be required in the coming years. We see CPIT as the ideal partner as the reconstruction of Christchurch moves up a gear,” Allen Blewitt, Executive Director of Australia and New Zealand University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations said.

CPIT stood out from a strong pool of applicants, demonstrating a high level of experience and an excellent reputation in English language education.

“Cambridge was impressed by the ideas and depth of skills available from the CPIT team and the qualifications and experience of their core English language specialists. They are a well-regarded tertiary institution which has a great central location and strong links to feeder educational institutions,” Blewitt said.

The institute was identified as being able to provide an efficient and secure examination process as well as having potential to expand growth in Cambridge enrolments in 2012, including in non-traditional areas such as the technical and trades sector.

“In 2012 we would hope to see an expansion in Cambridge English candidature in the South Island, not only in the traditional core examinations but also in other examinations which are suitable for the technical, trades and vocational sector,” Blewitt said.

Full story...

English language opens doors for top student
By Rowena Orejana, TheAucklander.co.nz

December 23, 2011—Hom Panther lies on her bed, workbook on her lap. She has memorised her spelling list and is happy.

She’s a paraplegic, her legs paralysed and her right arm weakened in a car crash four years ago, but that hasn’t stopped her desire to learn.

For the second year in a row, her perseverance has been noted by the North Shore branch of English Language Partners, a not-for-profit organisation with 23 groups around the country.

“We recognise the achievements learners make throughout the year and the hard work they put in to learning English.

“We had five learners at this year’s end-of-year party who were presented with certificates for their achievements this year, including Hom," says manager Birgit Grafarend-Watungwa.

“For her to keep pushing past her pain and disability and say: ‘I want to learn English,’ we all feel inspired.”

Mrs Panther, who came from Thailand 16 years ago, is the first back-to-back recipient of the organisation’s recognition.

Full story...

Japanese visit a “huge show of loyalty”
By Alan Wood, Stuff.co.nz

November 7, 2011—A visit by nearly 200 Japanese students and teachers from Yokohama to Christchurch is seen as a significant turning point for the English language teaching industry that was hit hard by the February 22 earthquake.

Those in the Christchurch- based English as a second language industry are worried that the exit of individual colleges has seriously weakened what the city offers to attract the students back.

Christchurch College of English Ltd managing director Rob McKay said he thought the visit by the group of 187 students and seven teachers was the first large- scale return to the quake-hit city by Japanese students since the quake that killed 182 people.

“There have been some smaller groups, but nothing like this. It’s a huge show of loyalty and friendship,” McKay, who owns the college, said.

“Because, as you know, they’re from Japan, their culture tends to be conservative but they’re also very loyal.”

Smaller Japanese school- based groups have regularly been visiting the Papanui- based Southern Cross Language Institute in the period since the quake.

Full story...

English language teaching continues

September 12, 2011—Minister of Education and Science of Georgia Dimitri Shashkin spoke of a “linguistic revolution” to the diplomatic corps, representatives of international organizations and civil society gathered at the Courtyard Marriott on September 9. Presenting the achievements of the program Teach & Learn with Georgia (TLG) the Minister and TLG Program Manager Maia Siprashvili-Lee discussed the annual impact of the program on improving the level of English at Georgian schools.

Shashkin emphasized the importance of the program which according to the Minister has ensured the “success of educational reform” in the country. “We can proudly say that we have made a linguistic revolution at Georgian public schools,” Shashkin said stressing that the Georgian pupils had a wonderful opportunity to learn English from native English speaking teachers, while the Georgian teachers could improve their professional skills. “The fact that two-thirds of university entrants chose English as their second language at the Unified National Exams means that the revolution has been a real success!” stated the Minister.

Strengthening the English language learning process through TLG at Georgian schools is among the main priorities of the Georgian government. The native English speaking teachers with their local colleagues have been teaching the pupils together at public schools all around the country.

The main goal of Teach & Learn with Georgia is to improve English language proficiency through recruiting English speaking teachers for Georgian public schools. The authors of the project also rely on exchange of information, experiences and cultures to create significant ties between Georgia and other countries from different parts of the world…

Full story...

English language prioritized in Georgian schools
By Salome Modebadze, Messenger.com.ge

August 8, 2011—English language is becoming mandatory at all the accredited and authorized educational institutions in Georgia. The initiative of the Ministry of Education and Science aims to raise interest towards English language as the main priority for the Government and the initial step for the Georgian citizens to integrate with the international society. On August 5th the First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia Koka Seperteladze held a briefing where he explained the principles of the project.

As Seperteladze explained to the media, the Decree of the Ministry refers to the first year students of Bachelor’s degree from the 2011-2012 academic year and would be organized in coordination with the National Examination Center (NAEC). The higher education institutions that get a relevant license from the National Center for Education Quality Enhancement would also be able to carry out English language exams. “Those entrants who passed an English language exam at Unified National Exams should have B2 level in English and those who passed exam in other foreign language should obtain B1 level in English,” he said stressing that the students who hold TOEFl, IELTS or other international certificates in English language will be free from the additional exam.

Deputy Minister of Education and Science Nodar Surguladze explained the six international educational levels to The Messenger. A1 is the starting level for the foreign language and C2 emphasizes the highest educational background – equal to the mother tongue. B1 is the level necessary for overcoming the Unified National Exams in Georgia, while B2 is considered for Master’s degree, followed by C1 – for Doctor’s degree.

Full story...

Kano employs Britons to teach English language
By Ibrahim Bello, DailyTimes.com.ng

November 7, 2011—Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State has urged the management of the Local Education Partnerships, a British Council funded education project, to employ teachers from Britain to teach English language in Kano schools.

Kwankwaso also asked the LEP management to sponsor students from the state to the United Kingdom to attend courses in English language, adding that when such students returned from the British institutions, they would be expected to serve in the state public schools.

He disclosed this while receiving a team from Somerset Local Education Authority, UK, which was on a working visit to the state. The governor stressed that the move was important as most students in the state were having difficulties in Mathematics and English language.

He said the mass failure in the subjects made his administration to employ British teachers to teach the subjects at the new Governor’s College, Kofar Nasarawa, which would start admission during the next academic session.

The governor noted that the partnership was a welcome development. He, however, advised that such projects should not be limited to urban schools alone but should also cover rural areas.

Full story...

English anguish

“Our own experience shows,” President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the 9th International Language and Development Conference on Language and Social Cohesion on Monday, “that language can be an instrument of division and conflict.”

He continued that Sri Lanka is trying use language to bind our people together. The government is committed to securing the language rights of all communities and to transforming the country into a trilingual society, and English was to be used as a link language.

What President’s words entail is the conversion of a multilingual society made up of essentially monolingual communities into one comprised of one multilingual community.

That this is possible is proved by the existence already of multilingual language communities, for instance Bohras, Malays and Sindhis—who, in addition to their mother tongue, speak English, and the two main languages of this land.

Now, the learning of English in Sri Lanka has been fraught with impediments, not the least of which is that caused by myth.

For example, the language policy of 1956 has been blamed for the alleged decline in English knowledge. The truth is that, at that time only five percent of the population were proficient in English, the then official language, whereas the figure was 13 percent two decades later.

Full story...

Why Americans no longer say what they mean in plain English
By Lara Marlowe, The Irish Times

IRELAND, June 25, 2011—In the preface to Pygmalion , George Bernard Shaw famously wrote that every time an Englishman opens his mouth he makes another Englishman despise him.

This is less true in America, where social mobility and democracy have blunted linguistic markers, while in politics there’s a premium on imaginative language that makes an apathetic public sit up and take notice.

But Democrats are handicapped by their split electorate, explains Timothy Meagher, a fourth generation Irish-American and professor of history at Catholic University. Republicans tend to be white and working or middle class, while Democrats encompass the poor, ethnic minorities and Americans with university degrees.

“The language that appeals to educated Democrats is more formal, more academic,” says Meagher. “College professors love Obama, because his language is beautifully crafted. But other groups can find it alienating.”

Race further complicates Obama’s linguistic choices. In his efforts to be a “regular guy”, the president calls people “folks” and drops his ‘g’s. “If he indulges too much in colloquial English, it sounds like black argot,” says Meagher.

“It’s easier for white politicians to descend into folksiness.” Obama’s intelligence and Ivy League education can be a political weakness that make him appear distant and cold, Meagher explains. “Dropping his ‘g’s can seem hip and cool to blacks and young whites, but older whites, and especially middle-class whites, may hear language that conjures up images of poor blacks. Do white Americans see someone like them, or someone who crosses a boundary? He’s boxed in by American stereotypes.”

Full story...

Hungary wants to dump English for being too easy to learn
By Gergo Racz, Wall Street Journal (blog)

August 18, 2011—Hungary’s government wants to dethrone English as the most common foreign language taught in Hungarian schools. The reason: It’s just too easy to learn.

“It is fortunate if the first foreign language learned is not English. The initial, very quick and spectacular successes of English learning may evoke the false image in students that learning any foreign language is that simple,” reads a draft bill obtained by news website Origo.hu that would amend Hungary’s education laws.

Instead, the ministry department in charge of education would prefer if students “chose languages with a fixed, structured grammatical system, the learning of which presents a balanced workload, such as neo-Latin languages.”

Besides giving a deceptive sense of achievement, English learning also makes acquiring other languages more difficult, the ministry argues. Reversing the order, on the other hand, makes learning English essentially effortless, it added.

“If someone is earlier taught another language, they’ll hardly notice that they can learn English alongside. This is because unfortunately, we use exclusively English words when talking about computers, international music and molecular biology,” Deputy State Secretary Laszlo Dux said in a radio interview on state radio station MR1 Kossuth.

Full story...

60 trained in computer assisted language learning

ISLAMABAD, December 19, 2011 (APP)—A series of workshops on Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), organized by English Language Teaching Reforms (ELTR) project of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in collaboration with the British Council, completed training of 60 Master Trainers. The series of workshops concluded in a ceremony held at Karachi today, said a news release received here today.

The first workshop of the series was held at HEC Islamabad. The second workshop was held at Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, while the last course of the series was conducted at HEC Regional Centre, Karachi. Mashood Rizvi, Director (Sindh and Balochistan) British Council was the chief guest in the closing ceremony.

A total number of 60 English Language Teachers from different public sector universities and colleges have been trained through this series of CALL workshops.

In addition to the university faculty, the teachers from colleges also attended these workshops. Nik Peachy was the resource person of the whole series.

CALL course aims to provide the participants the international level understanding of E-Learning.

The course has a multifaceted dimension, in which not only the concept of online teaching and E learning is focused upon, but other computer technologies are also taught.

Full story...

Learning inglês by Internet
By Martha Gill, FinancialTimes.com (blog)

September 9, 2011—As Brazilians warm up to hosting the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup, practising their stretches and squat-thrusts, they have suddenly begun to worry about their English.

This anxiety is pushing up a booming market for English language tuition in Brazil, which has grown as the economy develops and becomes more globalised. And as Brazilians look for ways to brush up their language skills, one Brazilian company is looking to the US to help fill the gap.

Abril Educação (ABRE11:SAO), a Brazilian educational company, this week paid $2m to acquire a 5.9 per cent stake in Livemocha, a Seattle-based company that bills itself as “the world’s largest online language learning community”.

The partnership would use the web to bring together Brazilian students with US-based teachers. The BM&FBovespa-listed Abril Educação had a revenue of R$510m in 2010, according companies figures from Bloomberg, and is controlled by Brazilian media corporation Grupo Abril. It sells textbooks, and serves approximately 30m Brazilian students. Livemocha, on the other hand, is a privately owned company which sets up language lessons via video-link. It currently has 11m members – 250,000 of whom are English teachers.

“There is an increasing awareness in Brazil of the importance of learning English, especially in anticipation of the World Cup,” Manoel Amorim, Abril Educação’s chief executive told beyondbrics…

Full story...

TESOL research conference slated as QNCC’s inaugural event

September 18, 2011—The Qatar National Convention Centre will host its inaugural event October 1-3: the TESOL International Association’s “Putting Research into Practice” conference. The three-day conference gathers experts from around the region and across the world to focus on key areas of applied research in the field of English language teaching.

The conference is organized by Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL) in collaboration with university partners in Qatar, Qatar TESOL, TESOL Arabia and other TESOL affiliates in the region.

“Increased English language proficiency is a strategic goal for Qatar and many countries around the world today. Learning English should not mean losing Arabic, however, and figuring out how to do this in the best way possible requires extensive research,” said conference chair Dudley Reynolds, Ph.D, Teaching Professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and a member of the Board of Directors for the TESOL International Association.

Reynolds continued, “At Carnegie Mellon we feel it is extremely important to the success of our university and Education City that our teachers understand why certain teaching practices work in some situations and different practices work in others.”

Research projects undertaken by Carnegie Mellon faculty have provided opportunities to learn about good practices that enhance students' literacy development.

Full story...

English language schools warned against aggressive price cutting
By Patrick Cooke, TimesofMalta.com

September 28, 2011—Local English language teaching organisations were cautioned against aggressive pricing strategies at the presentation of the industry’s first benchmarking survey yesterday.

The Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations Malta (Feltom) survey, supported by APS Bank, was carried out by Deloitte and covers 2010.

It will bring “real benefits” to the industry, Deloitte financial advisory leader Raphael Aloisio told stakeholders in his presentation at the Radission Blu Resort in St Julians, as it will help schools to compare their own performances with that of the industry as a whole, enabling them to take timely corrective actions where necessary.

The report highlighted the consequences for the industry of the sharp decline in student arrivals from the peak in 2008. Although student arrivals increased 6.5 per cent last year to 72,695 students, the figures remained 15.4 per cent below the 83,288 students who came in 2008.

In an attempt to boost student arrivals, schools lowered tuition prices, resulting in total school tuition revenue last year being 4.6 per cent below 2009 and 10.6 per cent below 2008.

Reduced student volumes and lower pricing levels also forced schools to cut back significantly on their staffing costs and other expenditure by close to 20 per cent from 2008 levels.

Full story...

Language advantage
By Tony Liaw, TheStandard.com.hk

October 3, 2011—For Ng Kam-lun, operating a tutoring school may appear to be the logical outcome of a life immersed in education. After all, the early part of his career was spent as an English-language teacher in a public school and - more importantly - as a tutor.

Ng started his own cram school in 1988, calling it Intel Education. Today, it has morphed and evolved into publicly-listed Modern Education (1082).

In the process, Ng has acquired almost legendary status in local educational circles, with many secondary- school students addressing him as “Ken Sir” and legions more investing his name with a hope for academic competence that can so easily be lost in the thicket of Hong Kong's modern education system.

Having built up a recognizable name in tutoring tens of thousands of mostly secondary students, the company has diversified into skills and test preparation courses. In January last year, Modern Education entered the mainland market and Ng is eager to make his mark.

For him, operating a school is about giving students “all the support they need,” while a business is “a totally different story.”

In the first couple of years of opening up his cram school, it was no different from other such centers, which trumpet the high grades of their students as a selling point.

To make it stand out, Ng decided to turn tutors into stars by packaging them in unheard-of ways. “Of course, teachers have to be knowledgeable. But turning them into stars can encourage students to work harder. Teachers can also serve as role models."

Full story...

Firms can use English language DIFC courts

DUBAI, October 31, 2011—His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, today signed a law allowing any businesses to use the English language DIFC Courts, the Dubai International Financial Centre’s (DIFC) independent, common law judicial system, to resolve commercial disputes.

Dubai’s judiciary has always been at the forefront of justice in the region and beyond, and by allowing businesses in Dubai, and internationally, to have the choice of Dubai’s Arabic language or English language courts to resolve disputes reflects Dubai’s commitment to choice, and to providing a world class and diverse environment to resolve commercial disputes.

The Ruler’s decree opens the DIFC Courts’ jurisdiction, something that the regional business community has been calling for. The Courtroom doors are now open to businesses from all across the GCC region and beyond and provide the international business community with access to the most advanced commercial court in the world.

Dr. Ahmed bin Hazeem, Director General of Dubai Courts said: “The DIFC Courts and Dubai Courts share a commitment to justice and the rule of law, and have always worked together for the benefit of the community. This is a very positive development for justice, and a reflection of Dubai’s commitment to supporting investors and businesses both domestically and from around the world…”

Full story...

Asian languages in demand at Zayed University

October 9, 2011—While English remains the dominant language people learn in addition to their mother tongue, an ever-increasing number of students are learning Asian languages.

A survey at Zayed University (ZU) showed Korean and Chinese as the most desired languages to learn. Asian languages look more appealing to ZU students this academic year than it was last year, said Christopher Brown, founding director of International Language at ZU. More than 600 students expressed interest in Asian languages this year, a sharp increase from last year.

ZU founded the International College in 2009 with two major institutes established with a focus on Asian studies. The King Sejong (Korean) and Confucius Institutes (Chinese) began a diverse programme of language training and cultural awareness programmes to promote languages and cultural exchanges.

When asked about the reason for the focus on Asian languages, Brown told Gulf News, “The rise of South Korea, China and Japan, along with the strengthening relation between the UAE and these nations, are good reasons for ZU to help prepare the Emirati work force for their interaction with these countries.”

“Giving the young people of the UAE a chance to learn about Asia will help them to distinguish themselves in a competitive job market,” added Brown.
"Learning a new language is hard work but it is worth the effort as it's a discriminator in a competitive job market," said student Mariam Al Tamimi, 20.

Full story...

Call to make Arabic the language of instruction
By Iman Sherif, GulfNews.com

ABU DHABI, October 4, 2011: The dominance of English language on almost every aspect is non debatable. It has become the international communication language for commerce, banking, internet, travel and politics.

The widespread use of English, however, introduces a cultural challenge — how to propel the UAE as a leader in the global market, and at the same time, retain the Arabic identity when the majority of the younger generation refuses to communicate in their mother tongue.

“English is the language of globalisation and international communication. Therefore, we need to have our students reach proficiency,” said Fatima Badry, professor at the American University of Sharjah.

So, schools educate in English, and parents speak with their children in English to help them prepare for a competitive world. Arabic is reserved for traditional studies such Arabic literature or Islamic studies.

In doing so, we are downgrading Arabic in the eyes of our children who become apprehensive of using it and focus instead on the language that will help them integrate in the workplace or society,” she added.

Full story...

Official use of English as second language recommended

DHAKA, November 22, 2011—Bangladeshi writing in English has mostly remained a step below the international standard, preventing the country’s rich culture and literature from reaching out to an international audience.

The reason, litterateurs told an enthusiastic audience at the Hay Festival Dhaka, is that English has remained an alien language in the country unlike in India where it has been adopted and naturalised into its own unique and separate mould.

Many can read and write well in English, they said, but the problem is writing English that others would want to read.

The views came at a discussion on “Contemporary voices and trends in Bangladeshi fiction,” held at the British Council on Fuller Road in the city yesterday.

“Why don’t we officially accept English as a second language—after all, we are already using it as a second language,” said Prof Kaiser Haq, a poet, essayist and teacher at the University of Liberal Arts.

Haq underlined a need for developing a “critical English writing framework” for South Asia instead of having separate frameworks for each country in the region.

This would help increase readership of Bangla literature within the region, and create interest outside the region as well, he said.

A galaxy of poets, novelists, journalists, filmmakers, musicians, and thinkers from home and abroad participated in the first-ever Hay Festival in the country.

Full story...

French language website creates list of English words it wants to ban
By Lee Moran, DailyMail.co.uk

October 12, 2011—As custodians of the French language, the Académie Française takes its job very seriously.

It has fought against the creeping use of English for decades—asking for certain imports to be replaced with their purer French alternatives.

And now, with the threat of its beloved mother tongue becoming even further diluted, it has taken the radical step of starting to list English words it wants banned from use.

The body has introduced a new section to its website—called “Dire, ne pas dire” (Say, don’t say).

To date only two “anglicisms” have been listed, but the body promises that more will be added over the coming months.

The first is “best of,” which is commonly used across Le Manche (English Channel), with the words joined by a hyphen.

The second word to come under fire is the Franglais construction “impacter,” which the Académie recommends replacing with “affecter.”

The Académie Française was created in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII.

Full story...

South Sudan adopts the language of Shakespeare
By Rosie Goldsmith, BBC News

October 8, 2011—The young nation of South Sudan has chosen English as its official language but after decades of civil war, the widespread learning of English presents a big challenge for a country brought up speaking a form of Arabic.

I knew there might be problems as soon as I arrived at Juba International airport—and was asked to fill in my own visa form, as the immigration officer could not write English.

The colourful banners and billboards hung out to celebrate South Sudan's independence back in July, and still adorning the streets now, are all in English. As are the names of the new hotels, shops and restaurants.

After decades of Arabisation and Islamisation by the Khartoum government, the predominantly Christian and African south has opted for English as its official language.

At the Ministry of Higher Education, Edward Mokole, told me: “English will make us different and modern. From now on all our laws, textbooks and official documents have to be written in that language. Schools, the police, retail and the media must all operate in English.”

South Sudan’s education system is very short of resources and most people are illiterate
This was “a good decision for South Sudan,” he added forcefully, rather playing down the fact that there are very few fluent English speakers in the country.

Full story...

Hotels train in English, manners, motivation
By Rachel Nielsen, Moscow Times

MOSCOW, November 22, 2011—Konstantin Goryainov runs not one but two hotels in Moscow, Holiday Inn Lesnaya and Holiday Inn Suschevsky. After becoming the Lesnaya’s general manager in July 2010, he was promoted to senior general manager of both hotels earlier this year. He now is in charge of 600 hotel rooms, two restaurants and substantial conference space. Goryainov is a fluent English speaker with a long background in the hotel business.

Earlier this month, he went for training.

That his hotel sent its top director for training — albeit at a global meeting for general managers in InterContinental Hotels Group — underlines the importance that hotel companies place on proper skills and good management. From personal grooming to hotel promotion to English proficiency, the skills required for hotel employees in the capital are many and exacting. The importance and the scale of hotel employee training in Moscow will only increase in the next few years, as international hotel companies open more properties here and hire thousands more employees.

InterContinental, which owns the Holiday Inn brand, held the IHG Way for General Managers from Nov. 14 to Nov. 17 in Istanbul. Goryainov in fact was required to attend the event as part of his first-year training as a general manager, or hotel director.

Hotel directors from properties run under the IHG brand attend annual conferences, Goryainov said, so that they can interact with directors from other hotels, swap problems and advice, and hear about the overall hotel market.

Full story...

Language lessons: Russian retailers sued for English ads

MOSCOW,        November 9, 2011—Moscow’s largest department store TSUM has been put on trial over language issues.

The claimants – the Federal Anti-Monopoly Agency – are trying to prove that TSUM violated Russian legislation by using the English word “sale” in its advertising.

Officials refer to the federal law on advertising, according to which all foreign words used in promotion materials should be translated into Russian. In that particular case, the officials say, the Russian alternative to the word “sale” was more appropriate.

TSUM is also accused of omitting important information about the goods in its advertising, as well as the conditions of purchase and use.

If the court rules against it, TSUM – one of the most luxurious department stores in the capital – will have to pay up to $20,000.

The regulation about the use of Russian language in advertising has been in place for some time.
Back in 2008, Prime Minister Putin pointed to the excessive amount of adverts in English placed around Rostov-On-Don, which he was visiting.

Officials started to look into the matter and, as a result, launched 60 cases against business owners, most of which had to do with the unlawful use of the word “sale.” In Moscow alone, 10 such cases were launched in the past two years.

Full story...

Deciding on our children’s language of future
By Jackie May, TimesLive.co.za

ZAMBIA, November 20, 2011—A young boy’s mother has been asked by another parent to dissuade her son from speaking English to his classmates.

The primary school he attends is Afrikaans medium. Although the boy’s father is Afrikaans, he speaks English at home. The school, by all accounts, is a delightful community school and is for many people in its neighbourhood the obvious choice for their children. But not all are happy.

It’s an especially strange response from a parent when you know the school has chosen English as its first additional language for the new policy to be introduced next year.

This story surprised me. We’re living in a fiercely multicultural country. We have an abundance of official languages, and the more we can listen and hear one another, the better we can understand each other.

And what harm is there in speaking English on the playground? Surely it’s not still regarded as the language of the “vyand?”

The fierce emotion around language, hopefully not alienating anybody, was illustrated at my children's school recently.

It is tackling the new language policy and there's a robust debate among the parents about which language to choose. Parents are taking this very seriously. Some parents want Afrikaans, others Zulu.

Full story...

Corfo to give 6,000 English-language scholarships for 2012

SANTIAGO, December 30, 2011—The Corfo, Chile’s production development corporation, is offering 6,000 scholarships in 2012 for its English program starting in March of next year and will give 10,000 in 2013.

Corfo is a Chilean government organization dedicated to promoting economic growth in Chile. This initiative is part of the competitive drive agenda promoted by the Ministry of Economy.

Corfo’s executive vice president, Hernán Cheyre, said, “We want to expand this program because English language skills are increasingly needed in the business world. It allows us to support our entrepreneurs and attract businesses that require bilingual professionals to make Chile a developed country. ”

President Sebastián Piñera, with Minister of Economy Paul Logueira, on Nov. 29 at the Palacio de La Moneda, led the ceremony of certificate presentation to the participants of the 2011 Corfo English program.

The president stated that the project involves “going from 1,000 scholarships had in 2008, 4,000 scholarships in 2011… 6,000 scholarships in 2012 and 10,000 by 2013…We are confident that this is necessary but still not enough. Therefore, this program will continue because when you really want to change history, you have to commit to doing things differently and give it your best effort, [with] resources and commitment to [carry out] this task. ”

There are two types of courses, one of 100 hours and the other 200 hours, according to the time available and preferences of students…

Full story...

Private schools beat government schools
By Musa Simelane, Times.co.sz

MBABANE, December 28, 2011—Pat Muir, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Training, admitted that private schools outshone government schools in English Language this year.

English Language as a subject in local schools still determines whether or not a pupil passes or fails Standard V or Form III.

Private schools accounted for much of the 90.55 per cent pass rate recorded for English Language in this year’s Standard V exam results. Furthermore, the majority who did well in this subject were girls, who got a 91.72 per cent pass rate compared to boys who got 89.37 per cent.

“As a ministry, we want to research on what makes them perform better than government schools. We may also need to do research on urban versus rural schools where this language is concerned,” said Muir.

Other language subjects such as siswati, French and Portuguese, girls still did far better than the boys. The per cent pass rate was 92.06, 99.00 and 100 respectively. For boys it was 85.69 per cent for siswati, 96.99 for French and 60 per cent for Portuguese.

When compared to last year, girls still did better than boys in language subjects except for Portuguese, where the pass rate for boys was 83.33 per cent and girls 75.77 per cent.

However, boys did better than girls in science and mathematics subjects. In mathematics they recorded a pass rate of 87.36 per cent whereas girls recorded 84.07 per cent…

Full story...