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The Forum makes a weekly roundup of interesting news from all over the world about the English language and related subjects. To read the news from a particular country, simply click the indicated country link. To go out of that country’s news section, simply click the country link again and choose another country link.
More college graduates needed for stronger BPO growth in the Philippines
MANILA, February 2, 2013—Only two out of every 100 Filipinos inside the prime employable age bracket of 20 to 34 is a college graduate, House Deputy Majority Leader Roman Romulo bared over the weekend.
“We have to churn out more college graduates at a faster rate in the years ahead,” Romulo said, citing the need to aggressively develop the country’s human resources to stay highly competitive in the labor-intensive outsourcing market.
“Our college-educated English-speaking labor force is our biggest advantage. We have to work very hard on this asset if we want to capture a bigger chunk of the global outsourcing market, estimated to be worth some $280 billion by 2017,” Romulo said.
Citing Commission on Higher Education figures, Romulo said the country’s college graduates increased by only 2.9 percent to 481,862 in 2010, and comprised just two percent of those inside the best employable age range of 20 to 34.
Romulo is a key backer of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry and author of a bill seeking to enable the country to produce more college graduates via a bold new student loan program.
Under the program, an eligible student may obtain a low-cost bank loan to pay for the tuition of the college where the borrower has been accepted. The money may also be used to pay for miscellaneous school fees, books, food, transportation, and other necessities.
The loan would have an effective interest rate pegged to the benchmark 91-day Treasury bill rate, which last stood at 0.05 percent (one-half of one-tenth of one percent).
The bank may apply an add-on 3.0 to 5.0 percent annual interest rate. However, instead of the borrower paying for the extra interest expense, the bank may claim the corresponding amount as tax credits. The lender may then use the credits to pay for or offset its tax obligations.
Meanwhile, Romulo acknowledged the strengthening peso poses “some risk” multinational BPO firms might be driven to branch out to other locations outside the Philippines.
“The risk of a rising peso is somewhat being heightened by the fact that the currency of our chief competitor in the global BPO market, India, is doing the opposite and falling against the dollar,” Romulo said.
Like exporters, the Philippine operations of multinational BPO firms earn dollars, but spend for their operations here, such as the wages of their staff, in pesos.
A stronger local currency means BPO firms receive fewer pesos to spend here for every dollar they earn, just like overseas Filipino workers.
The peso advanced by 6.21 percent against the dollar in 2012. The peso-dollar rate stood at 41.19:1.00 at the end of 2012 versus 43.92:1.00 at the close of 2011.
Regardless of the peso-dollar rate, Romulo said the Philippines should reinforce its core competitiveness by producing more college graduates, building up public infrastructure, sustaining tax incentives, lessening red tape, and enabling foreign investors to easily do business here.
The country’s BPO and information technology-enabled services industry encompasses contact center services; back offices; medical, legal and other data transcription; animation; software development; engineering design; and digital content.
The industry is projected to generate $27 billion in revenues and fully employ some 1.3 million Filipinos by 2016.
Education Department and partners launch first Voice of Asia Speech Contest
MANILA, January 31, 2013—Aimed to enhance the public-speaking skills of the students, the Department of Education has forged a partnership with The Manila Times, The Manila Times College, Emilio Aguinaldo College, and the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Association in the launching of the first Voice of Asia Speech Contest.
At the formal launching on Wednesday, Education Secretary Armin Luistro said that the competition will highlight the capability of Filipino high school students to discuss relevant issues in exemplary form and content.
“By content, we mean thought organization, logic, appropriateness of examples and accuracy of data and delivery means. Correctness of grammar and syntax, level of language, posture and eye contact with the audience,” Luistro said.
He added that contest will give Filipino high school students the chance to shine internationally. The speech will be in English and delivered extemporaneously.
Dr. Isagani Cruz, president of The Manila Times College, expressed optimism that several years from now, the Philippines will become the center of English language education since the country boasts of being the best English-speaking Asian country.
“This [speech contest] is the best way in showcasing Filipino students’ high-level of public-speaking skills competencies,” Cruz said. “The ultimate objective of this competition is to make the Philippines the center of English language education. The immediate objective, on the other hand, is to make the Philippines to compete with each other in a speaking contest,” he added.
Strong currency hurts Philippine call centers
MANILA, December 26, 2012 (Agence France-Presse)—The peso’s rise is hitting call centers in the Philippines, handicapping the global leader in the lucrative business as it combats a challenge from top rival India, industry officials said Wednesday.
Forty percent of the members of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines had cancelled expansion plans and an equal number reported losing business to other destinations, the industry group said.
Nearly half disclosed in a group survey that they were having trouble meeting revenue targets because of the strong peso, it said in a statement.
The association said the local currency had become uncompetitive compared to the rupee in India, the Philippines’ main rival for outsourced business services.
“The combination of an appreciating peso and a depreciating Indian rupee has provided India with a meaningful cost advantage,” the statement said.
The Philippine peso has strengthened by about seven percent from about 43.90 to the US dollar on January 2 to about 41.05 at the close of last week.
Industry president Benedict Hernandez said Philippines-based call centers must be able to operate “within acceptable market prices,” but added: “That’s becoming increasingly difficult as the peso continues to appreciate”.
English still the best tool to strengthen basic education, says school principal
By Imelda Castro-Rivero, Philippine Information Agency
CABUGAO, Ilocos Sur, November 20, 2012—English is still the best tool or language for the development of basic education in this country.
The Cabugao District English Olympics 2012 on November 13 proved this under a program with the theme “Strengthening Basic Education through English Literacy” held in this town’s prime grade school, the Cabugao South Central School, which is found the only public school facing the only private secondary school in this town, the Cabugao Institute, said school principal Melvi Sajonia.
“English is very important in uplifting the quality of education in the elementary schools,” Sajonia, said in his message during the event, adding that mathematics should also be given the same importance.
“English is still the universal language and through it people in the world come to understand each other. In the Philippines which has many regional dialects, Tagalog is our national language, but English persists to be the communication bridge among the regions. And more importantly children should be fluent in English to become competitive in their education and future jobs here or in other countries. Once children become fluent in speaking, reading and writing English they are sure to face the academic and working world, no matter what school they graduated from,” he said.
In this one-day affair, students competed in poem recitation, spelling, Read-A-Thon, declamation and essay writing.
The principal said that reciting poems develop in children the many aspects of the English language. A child must first become a good reader to understand the poem he will recite. It is like dramatizing the story in the poem. And he must have good diction, pronouncing each word properly and clearly.
Philippine outsourcing to gain from fresh cutbacks at US banks
A fresh wave of downsizing at large US financial holding companies is expected to benefit Manila’s booming business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, a ranking member of the Philippine Congress said over the weekend.
“American banks will likely accelerate the transfer of more back offices and business support jobs to lower-cost locations such as the Philippines in the months ahead,” said House Deputy Majority Leader Roman Romulo.
“It appears they are still under a lot of pressure to slash costs to stay profitable. Amid a sluggish US economy, there are estimates American banks may shed another 150,000 jobs this year,” Romulo said.
Romulo is a key congressional backer of the highly labor-intensive, information-technology (IT)-enabled BPO sector in the Philippines.
His remarks came shortly after Bank America Corp. (BA), the second-largest US financial holding company, with global assets of $2.2 trillion, bared plans to shed another 16,000 US jobs by year’s end.
The job cuts would see Charlotte, North Carolina-based BA giving up its title as the US banking industry’s largest employer.
Founded in 1904, BA operates in more than 40 countries and has over 282,000 employees, mostly in the US.
Like its three biggest rivals -- JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. -- BA already has a global in-house center (GIC) in Manila that provides a wide range of non-core, business support activities.
Taguig City-based BA Continuum Philippines Inc. “provides back-office operations and transactions, customer support and service functions, technology support and services, general human resource functions, business planning and general financial services.”
Meanwhile, Romulo cited the rise of two new IT parks in his congressional district of Pasig City, which he said would provide the extra infrastructure and connectivity required to buttress the BPO sector’s solid growth.
BPO firms are the primary locators in tax-sheltered IT parks registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.
The PSMT IT Building and Reliance IT Center in Pasig are among the 22 new IT parks being developed throughout the National Capital Region, according to Romulo, also vice chairman of the House information and communications technology committee.
Filipinos win settlement in English-only case
DELANO, California, September 18, 2012 (Associated Press)— Dozens of Filipino hospital workers in California will share a nearly $1 million settlement in a lawsuit claiming they were targeted by a rule requiring English only at work, federal officials said Monday.
The settlement involves nearly 70 nurses and medical staff members who accused Delano Regional Medical Center in California’s Kern County of banning them from speaking Tagalog and other Filipino languages while letting other workers speak in their native languages, including Spanish, the US Equal Opportunity Employment Commission announced.
The lawsuit, filed jointly by the commission and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center in 2010, accused the hospital of creating a hostile working environment for Filipinos by singling them out for reprimands and by encouraging other staff to report them.
The medical center defended its English-only policy as essential to patient care. In a written statement, officials said the hospital did nothing wrong.
Under California law, employers can require workers to speak English if there is a business necessity.
For decades, thousands of nurses from the Philippines have migrated to the United States to alleviate the nursing shortage. More than half of American nurses trained abroad are from the Philippines.
Filipino nurses in Delano said they were called to a special meeting with hospital managers in 2006, warned not to speak Tagalog, and told surveillance cameras would be installed, if necessary, to monitor them. No other language groups were included in the meeting, the lawsuit states.
Manila has worst “branding” among Asian cities, says study
By Kim Arveen Patria, Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom
MANILA, September 17, 2012—If the Philippine capital city of Manila were in a grocery shelf along with 15 other Asian cities, it would be the least likely to make it to the shopping basket.
This was revealed in a recent regional location branding survey released by online journal Public Affairs Asia and public relations firm Ogilvy.
The Philippine capital ranked last among the 16 Asian cities in the report, which assesses attributes mostly related to business and tourism.
These include economic growth, quality of life, security, infrastructure, environment and tourist opportunities, among others.
Manila got an average score of 5.6 out of 10 points, based on a survey of 300 senior communicators.
The city's score compares with that of Jakarta at 5.9 points.
"The reputation of these two South East Asian nations is impeded by poor infrastructure, fears over safety, concern about corruption and regular word of mouth accounts of poor visitor experiences," the report said.
The city-state of Singapore topped the list with 9.7 points, followed by the city-state of Hong Kong and Sydney in Australia both with 9.5 points; Tokyo in Japan, 9.2 points; and Melbourne in Australia, 8.8 points.
Joining Manila in the bottom five are Jakarta in Indonesia with 5.9 points; the Indian cities of Delhi, 6 points, and Mumbai, 6.1 points; as well as Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, 6.6 points.
House bill proposes putting English subtitles in local films
MANILA, August 1, 2012—Pasay City Rep. Emi G. Calixto-Rubiano has authored House Bill 6228, which is “aimed at assisting our foreign guests to enjoy the privilege of watching our local films without having to worry about the problem of translation.”
The bill is also known as “An act requiring all local movie producers to provide English subtitles on at least one (1) of every five (5) copies of films produced which are intended to be shown and/or circulated in the major shopping malls and other prominent cinema outlets in the country.”
On its explanatory note , Calixto-Rubiano pointed out that the “recent influx of tourists’ arrivals in our country” is an indication that they “[are] not only [here] for the natural wonders that our islands can offer, but significantly, many of them are also interested in the history and culture of our people.”
This, the lady lawmaker surmised, is the reason travel agencies have included in their itineraries shopping malls – which “[includes] in the structural designs… at least six to 12 cinemas ready to cater both foreign and local films.”
“Many of us may still be unaware that four among the top ten biggest shopping malls in the world are located in the Philippines,” she said.
Calixto-Rubiano then reiterated the “accepted notion” that films “are among the more effective vehicles to showcase relevant information about our history and culture.” To back her claim, she observed that “many of our foreign guests were commonly seen watching local films together with Filipino ‘chaperons’ acting as interpreters.”
GMA News Online editor in chief shares experiences with aspiring journalists
By Camille Lopez, The Manila Times
MANILA, July 27, 2012—“For those of you who were born with cellphones in your hands, you do not know how much power you are enjoying,” multi-awarded journalist and documentarist Howie Severino told journalism and high school students who are members of their campus paper.
The multi-awarded journalist and documentarist, best known for his works in I-witness and The Probe team, was the first lecturer in The Manila Times College’s “F. Sionil Jose Seminar Series.”
He shared his experiences during martial law, during which he said that journalists “felt disempowered.”
“You have the freedom and power to criticize the government all you want . . . and that is the kind of right you take for granted,” he said.
Severino recalled that he was arrested, accused of being a leader of protesters when he was merely taking photos of the rally.
“People in our field were traumatized. People were afraid because you can get arrested for just exercising your rights,” he said. “This political system we have now is something we value.”
Severino said that media has changed over the last two decades.
“During martial law, big media were extensions of dictatorship propaganda,” he said. However, the death of former senator Benigno Aquino Jr. changed all that.
Philippines offers English lessons and fun in tropical setting
CEBU CITY, July 17, 2012 (Reuters)—In the Philippines, English language courses come with poolside classrooms, field trips to the beach, and instructors doubling as tour guides.
South Korean students attend an English class at Cebu Pacific International Language school in Cebu City in this photo taken last July 6. English is widely spoken in the Philippines, a former American colony, and language proficiency schools have mushroomed across the country, catering to an expanding market of Asian and European students looking to combine English learning with tropical tourism.
English is widely spoken in the former American colony, and language proficiency schools have mushroomed across the country, catering to an expanding market of Asian and European students looking to combine English learning with tropical tourism.
French student Laura Samzun will soon be taking a test to enter a public college in the United Kingdom, and is under pressure to perfect her English. She chose to take classes in the Philippines due to lower costs.
“It’s less expensive to go to the Philippines, to come back (to) France, and to pay school than to stay in France (for that time),” Ms. Samzun said.
Fresh from a backpacking trip in Indonesia, she kicked-started her courses in June at the Cebu Pacific International Language School on the sunny central island of Cebu.
Ateneo, UP, DLSU among world’s best in teaching English, says ratings firm
July 2, 2012—Three Philippine universities have been listed as among the world’s best in teaching English, according to London-based research and ratings firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
QS’ World University Rankings by Subject included Ateneo de Manila University, University of the Philippines (UP), and De La Salle University in the Top 50 on its English list.
All three showed marked improvement from their 2011 rankings, especially Ateneo which jumped from 35th to 24th with a score of 68.9.
Ateneo passed UP in 2012 as the nation’s top university in teaching English, according to the QS ranking.
The state-run UP ranked 32nd with a score of 65.7, tied with University of California Irvine.
De La Salle University ranked 44th with a score of 63.1.
Most of the leading universities in this ranking are from countries where English is the native language such as the United Kingdom and the United States.
Racial discrimination in China’s ESL industry?
MANILA, May 17, 2012 (GMA News)—It may not be easy for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who are part of the English as a Second Language (ESL) industry to get hired in China, which pays English teachers handsomely.
According to a report of NBC News on Tuesday, China is looking for more English teachers but seems to prefer white people.
NBC News said: “Speak a little English and are willing to relocate? Well, you’re probably qualified to be an English-language instructor in China. As long as you are white, that is.”
The report said racial discrimination was “a harsh reality within China’s ESL industry.”
The country reportedly prefers “the blond-hair, blue-eyed all-American archetype (along with similarly equipped Britons, Australians and other native speakers close behind). While brown hair also is acceptable, having a white face is a near-absolute requirement," NBC News said.
Quoting Byron Vogue of the English training company Stanford English, the report said Caucasian applicants will always be preferred over their non-white counterparts.
Mandarin now included in Philippine special language program
MANILA, May 18, 2012 (Xinhua)—As part of its efforts to make the country’s workforce globally competitive, the government has included Mandarin in the special language program for teachers of the Department of Education (DepEd).
According to Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Mandarin forms part of the 2012 Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL) Summer Training Courses for Teachers held from April 12 to May 22.
Luistro said that the program is aimed at improving the capability of public school teachers on the diverse aspects of learning and teaching a second or foreign language.
He said this is also in line with the thrust of “K plus 12” program of the administration of President Benigno Aquino III whose objective is to prepare the Filipino workforce for the global arena.
“K plus 12” means kindergarten plus 12 years of basic education before a Filipino student can proceed to college.
Director Lolita Andrada of the DepEd’s Bureau of Secondary Education said the SPFL is designed for schools whose students have demonstrated competence first in English before they start to learn another foreign language.
Book on English accents launched in Cebu to promote teacher’s mastery of English
CEBU, May 12, 2012—As front liners in producing globally-competitive graduates, teachers should be properly equipped with the tools and the skills necessary for a successful teaching-learning process.
Last April 20, a group of Speech teachers launched their book titled Accents and Voices – A task-based approach for Speech Improvement.
The book is designed to help teachers achieve verbal proficiency in English so they can successfully deliver their lectures using the language.
Witnessed by teachers of English from various schools, colleges and universities, the launching at the SM City Cebu conference room was highlighted with short lectures on task-based approach in English language by Dr. Rouel Longinos, Communication competence for global competitiveness by Prof. Hazel Aguisanda, Language Pedagogy by Dr. Laiza Grace Cavales, and Word drill techniques by Prof. Norma Maratas.
Dr. Cavales, one of the authors, said students can also use the book as a self-learning module. Users of this book will learn to speak in standard American English.
Another author, Prof. Aguisanda, said Accents and Voices is distinct from other textbooks because of the relevance and practicality of its approach. Lessons are presented in modular form; the words used are taken from terminologies across industries.
ESL school’s P160-M facility in Cebu seen to boost tourism, jobs
By Careen L. Malahay, Cebu Daily News
CEBU CITY, May 18, 2012—By moving to a bigger office, one of the first English as second language (ESL) schools in Cebu City sees the transfer to help boost educational tourism in Cebu and bring in more teaching jobs for Cebuanos.
Raiko Fujioka, owner of QQ (Quick and Quality) English, said he invested P160 million for the transfer and expansion of his school because he believed in the importance of English in the international community.
QQ English is an online and offline ESL tutorial center that serves Japanese and Korean students of all ages who want to learn English.
Last Wednesday, the school moved to a bigger facility at the Skyrise 4 in Asiatown IT Park from its previous location at TGU building, still at the IT Park.
From occupying one floor at its previous location, the school now occupies three floors (7th to 9th floors) of Skyrise 4.
It has 120 classrooms for offline classes for 3,000 students and another 200 classrooms for online classes.
QQ uses Skype in their online classes while they have a one-on-one classroom for students who avail the offline sessions.
“Threat to US jobs” shuts USAid training in Mindanao
May 9, 2012—USAID, the US government’s international development agency, has been forced to suspend an English language teaching programme in the Philippines after two US congressmen claimed that it threatened US jobs.
The Job Enabling English Proficiency (Jeep) programme, which has provided English classes to up to 5,000 university graduates on the religiously divided island of Mindanao since 2009, was suspended last month after congressmen Tim Bishop and Walter Jones accused USAid’s chief, Rajiv Shah, of “investing taxpayer dollars in outsourcing training programmes in the Philippines at the expense of American workers.”
The Democratic and Republican members of the House of Representatives claimed in a letter to Shah that USAid was “actively funding the training of foreign workers for call-centre jobs outsourced by US companies.”
USAID has rejected this accusation but in a worrying show of acquiescence to political lobbying, the agency suspended the Jeep programme within days, saying that it will carry out a review of the facts.
The Jeep programme is part of USAID’s wider Growth with Equity Mindanao project to build infrastructure and opportunities on the conflict-scarred island.
Philippines launching novel K-to-12 curriculum on April 24
MANILA, April 22, 2012—President Benigno Aquino III and education officials are set to formally launch on Tuesday the unprecedented Kindergarten to Year 12 (K to 12) basic education reform program, kick-starting a phased implementation set to be completed by 2018.
Aquino, Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Higher Education Chair Patricia Licuanan and Technical Vocational Education Director General Joel Villanueva will lead the April 24 launch of the program in Malacañang, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced.
The occasion will also mark the launch of the new K to 12 curriculum for Grade 1 and First Year High School (Grade 7), which would be introduced in the public schools in June.
K to 12 is the flagship program of the Aquino administration that aims to improve the quality of Philippine education by adding three years to the school curriculum—one year of kindergarten and two years of high school.
During the latter additional years, students may choose to specialize in vocational courses, music and the arts, sports or agriculture to give them more options after high school—that is, whether to proceed to college or begin working with a high school diploma.
Incoming first year high school students in June will be the first batch of public school students to enter the additional senior high school levels in 2016.
Education department to use mother tongue-based language in school
NORTHERN MINDANAO, March 26, 2012—The Department of Education (DepEd) said it intends to use the Mother Tongue-Based Multi-Lingual Education (MTB-MLE) program from kindergarten and early elementary in June for school year 2012-2013.
Luz S. Almeda, DepEd-Northern Mindanao regional director, said they will use languages that are used at homes as a medium of instruction to children for them to understand clearly what has been discussed in their classes.
The MTB-MLE program uses the mother tongue (language at home) as a medium of instruction inside the classroom.
In Northern Mindanao, the Cebuano language is widely used in the region.
“This is a program that will be used so that the children will know and understand what they are saying and what the teacher is also saying. The English language will be taught gradually since the MTB-MLE program is just a transition,” Almeda said.
Based on DepEd’s Order No. 16 regarding the implementation of the MTB-MLE, the student’s mother tongue will be used to teach in all learning areas from kindergarten to Grade 3, except in Filipino and English subjects.
Almeda said the program is also a part of the K+12 basic education program.
Japanese online firm in Cebu to hire 2,000 Pinoy teachers
By Aileen Garcia-Yap, Cebu Daily News
CEBU CITY, March 20, 2012—A Japanese English language learning center based in Cebu will hire this year at least 2,000 more Filipino teachers to address the online demand for Japanese students who want to learn to speak English as a second language.
This developed after officials of Langrich-On, Inc. saw the firm grow rapidly in the past two years. They said there was a growing demand for online Filipino teachers among Japanese students in Japan.
“We’ve been in operations here since 2009. We started two years ago at the sixth floor of the Keppel Building but we have to move to the eighth floor to accommodate more cubicles for our operations,” said Haru Urabe and Yohei Maruyama, co-chief executive officers of Langrich-On Inc. in an interview last week.
Last year, the firm served at least 10,000 Japanese students online and about 25 on-site students .
Urabe said most Japanese students prefer to have a Filipino teacher because the students don’t feel intimidated.
“Aside from being very good teachers, most Filipino teachers always have a smile on their face when they teach and the Japanese feel more comfortable,” said Urabe.
Urabe said that nine out of 10 Japanese would prefer having a Filipino teacher than native English speakers like Americans.
At present, 200 full-time and part-time teachers are employed by Langrich-On Inc.
Mentors support children with limited English but “gaps” in specialist skills remain
By Amy Lightfoot, Guardian Weekly
March 26, 2012—As children without English as a first language exceed 1 million in England's schools, concern mounts about lack of specialist support and training
Growing numbers of children in the UK are entering schools with limited or no English. For young people at a state primary school in Cambridge, England, who do not speak English as their first language, help to overcome language barriers in class is at hand from sixth-formers from a local private secondary school who are being trained to act as special mentors.
The local initiative was launched recently by the Bell Foundation, the charity arm of the Bell Education Trust, best known as a provider of English language courses for foreign students, and the Stephen Perse Foundation, linked to Cambridge's leading independent school. It is intended to give young children a chance to get the most out of their education in spite of having limited or little English.
The mentoring project will feed into further research by the Bell Foundation into improving educational outcomes for students identified as having English as an additional Language (EAL), but its direct impact will remain limited at a time when many schools across England are seeing their numbers of EAL students rising but are struggling to find the expertise and specialist training needed to support learners.
In 2012 more than 1 million children studying in state schools in England were identified as not counting English as their first language, a figure which has doubled since 1997. Gladstone Primary School in Peterborough, 65km north of Cambridge, recently made headlines in the UK when it reported that 100% of its learners have a mother tongue that is not English.
Plea to selective universities over GCSE English
By Chris Parr, TimesHigherEducation.co.uk
March 15, 2013—Some of the highest-achieving A-level students could be unfairly denied a place at the most selective universities if such institutions insist on candidates holding a grade A for GCSE English language, according to a headteachers’ association.
A shift in GCSE grade boundaries in summer 2012 meant that English language candidates needed to score higher marks than those who sat the examination the previous January in order to get the same grade. Those same students will next year be the ones applying to university.
Mike Griffiths, president of the Association of School and College Leaders, urged universities to take this into account when considering which students are offered places.
In a speech to ASCL’s annual conference in London, he said: “I am asking for re-assurance that a B grade in English language will not mean some of our most talented students fall foul of an arbitrary filter.
“At my school there are five students who achieved an A or *A in all subjects – apart from, against expectations, English language. I want to be able to reassure those students that an application to Oxbridge or a Russell Group university will not automatically be consigned to the ‘reject’ pile.”
Mr Griffiths has also written to Russell Group vice-chancellors calling on them not to use an A grade in English language as a filter when assessing pupils.
“I appreciate that no such filter officially exists,” the letter says. “But I also appreciate that some departments in popular universities will have far more applicants than can be accommodated. I recognise that, in order to sift applications, departments may regard a top grade in English language as an essential pre-cursor to success…”
UK test risks “keeping couples apart”
By Georgina Kenyon, Guardian Weekly
July 10, 2012—Many migrant organisations are critical of the UK government’s recent changes to the English language requirement for people immigrating from outside European Area countries, claiming that the new rules require an unnecessary level of “speaking and listening,” and that many people will remain separated from their partners as a result.
Melanie Cooke, research associate at King’s College London, says the new language requirements will affect those applying for indefinite leave to remain or for citizenship, but who cannot reach the necessary level of proficiency – known as “B1” – in five years.
Until 2007, she says, English for speakers of other languages (Esol) classes could be obtained for free. “But these free classes were gradually removed and now everyone except those on benefits has to pay. The government cuts of up to 25% in adult education is impacting on Esol,” Cooke said.
As part of the new language requirement, all applicants for settlement will need to pass the Life in the UK Test, a computer-based bank of questions about UK history, culture and institutions, and present an English language speaking and listening qualification at B1 level or above on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Some exemptions exist, for example those who are skilled workers from Commonwealth countries where English is a person’s first language and they have been accepted into the UK to work.
English pupils “bottom of European league for languages”
By Graeme Paton, Telegraph.co.uk
June 21, 2012—Figures from the European Commission show that teenagers are more likely to struggle to order food or ask their way to a train station in a foreign language than pupils elsewhere in the continent.
Even among children studying other languages at school, English pupils had a poorer grasp of the basics than peers in other countries, it was revealed.
The study shows that just nine per cent of 14 and 15-year-olds in England who are learning French – the most commonly taught language – are classed as “independent users” who can deal with straightforward, familiar matters.
The figure is based on an assessment of youngsters’ reading, writing and listening skills in the language.
Across the 14 European countries surveyed, an average of 42 per cent of pupils met this standard in a foreign language, the study showed.
The disclosure prompted fresh concerns over the state of languages in English state schools.
Last year, record numbers of pupils left school without learning languages such as French, German and Spanish to a decent standard.
Perfect in speaking English, learnt entirely in China
By Andrew Stevenson, Sydney Morning Herald
SYDNEY, July 30, 2012—A new wave of Chinese migration is afoot, fuelled by ever-younger students for whom English is not a piece of knowledge to be learnt but a living language able to unlock the intricacies of the wider world.
Shen Jiahui and Wang Taojun learnt English at school and speak it perfectly without having ever set foot outside China. So well did they learn the language, they ranked second and fourth among 10,000 entrants in a national English public speaking competition run by the English language newspaper China Daily.
“Interest is the best teacher and also the first teacher,”' Mr Wang said. “'For me, the second teacher would be the ambition to know the world outside of China.”
The pair, hosted this week in Australia by the competition sponsor, Navitas English, addressed the subject of cultural clashes in their final talk.
Ms Shen, who hopes to undertake an MBA at an American university, said clashes were inevitable but not insurmountable.
“I came across them with my American teacher,” she said. “When we met him he said ‘Why are you so quiet?’”
English may be minority language in Australia as migrants now in the majority
By Vikki Campion, The Daily Telegraph
July 13, 2012—It has always been a cultural melting pot but new data reveals Sydney’s west has double the number of people born overseas than the rest of Australia.
While about 30 per cent of the nation was born overseas, in parts of Sydney's west more than 60 per cent of people are new arrivals, latest Census data reveals.
The new figures reveal not only the changing face of our suburbs, but also their changing voice—where people who speak only English could be on the way to becoming a minority.
In some Sydney local government areas, just 20 per cent of people speak English at home.
Auburn is officially the most multicultural, with 60.9 per cent of people born elsewhere, and only one in five people speaking English at home, with Arabic and Cantonese the most popular.
In Fairfield, 81 per cent of people had both parents born overseas, with the top ancestry being Vietnamese. The most common counties of birth reveal a new wave of immigration including Iraq, Cambodia, Italy and China.
Not only that, 25.9 per cent of people in Fairfield only spoke English at home, with nearly 20 per cent also fluent in Vietnamese.
Even though they don't have their own country, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is the third most spoken language in Fairfield other than English, with 5.6 per cent of the population speaking it at the dinner table.
In Liverpool, Italian and Spanish still dominate in the languages spoken at home, while the most common overseas countries of birth were Fiji and Iraq.
Test of English for International Communication's popularity on rise in Japan
The Yomiuri Shimbun
TOKYO, April 14, 2012—The Test of English for International Communication, or TOEIC, is becoming popular as English is an essential skill for employees as companies expand overseas.
The number of applicants in Japan for the TOEIC test, which measures English language skills necessary for international business, in fiscal 2011 increased by about 30 percent to 2.27 million from the previous fiscal year.
The figure is close to the 2.3 million who applied to take the Test in Practical English Proficiency (Eiken) in fiscal year 2011. Eiken is the most popular English proficiency test in Japan, and its Japanese name literally translates to “English skill test.”
It is possible that TOEIC will replace Eiken as Japan’s most popular English language test. TOEIC has become popular partly because companies have increased their international activities and students face difficult job markets.
TOEIC was developed by a U.S. nonprofit test organization and is administered in about 120 countries. In Japan, TOEIC was first made available in fiscal year 1979.
There is only one difficulty level for the TOEIC exam, and all test takers are evaluated on a scale of 10 to 990 points. Many TOEIC applicants are university students and working adults.
Eiken was introduced in fiscal year 1963 and is Japan's original English proficiency exam. Test takers sit for seven different exam difficulty levels - 5, 4, 3, pre-2, 2, pre-1 and 1, with 1 being the most difficult. Many Eiken applicants are middle and high school students.
Singapore revises English Language O and N-level exam formats
SINGAPORE, April 19, 2012—Reading out a speech or news report, editing grammatical errors and taking notes while listening to a passage—these are some of the new features in the English Language O and N-level examinations from next year onwards.
In line with a greater emphasis on the functional use of the language—following the latest English Language syllabus issued in 2010—the Ministry of Education (MOE) will be changing the assessment guidelines for the subject at O and N-levels, Today has learnt.
For instance, in the Express and Normal (Academic) streams, listening will be a new 45-minute segment that will weigh up to 10 per cent of the student's grade.
Pupils will be expected to answer questions based on texts, including reports, and to complete a note-taking task.
In terms of writing skills, students will be required to show their understanding of grammatical rules by editing a 250-word text.
There will also be a comprehension component in the English Language Paper Two, where visual texts such as advertisements may be used to enhance pupils' media literacy abilities.
The oral examinations will also do away with picture discussion and more attention will be placed on using English Language as a tool for interaction. Students will be asked, for example, to present a news report and discuss its contents afterwards or deliver a speech.
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.”
Stanford education experts help launch new English curriculum
“Learning English in action” is a good way to describe a new K-12 teaching approach being rolled out nationally by a group of educators whose aim is to help raise the quality of education for all learners, no matter what their language proficiency.
Starting in January, the Understanding Language initiative, headed by School of Education Professor Kenji Hakuta, will officially launch a pilot effort in Denver, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., and Chicago.
The new initiative is seeking to help English language learners – typically students whose first language is not English – to attain rigorous English language arts standards while developing their English proficiency at the same time.
It aims to help students who are still learning English to meet new standards in English language arts being required by the new Common Core State Standards. The Common Core, adopted in California and 44 other states, is a set of rigorous educational standards focused on helping students become better prepared for success in postsecondary education and the workforce.
“The Common Core requires students to go deeper by doing things like using text-based evidence to make arguments,” said Hakuta, who co-chairs Understanding Language. “While that’s great, it could disadvantage English language learners.”
The new five-week unit, called “Persuasion Across Time and Space: Analyzing and Producing Complex Texts,” helps seventh-grade intermediate-level English language learners grapple directly with challenging documents such as Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream and Robert Kennedy’s On the Assassination of Martin Luther King. Students must then produce persuasive speeches of their own.
“In the past, teachers may have given English language learners simplified versions of such texts, or they may have pre-empted their learning by explaining such documents before students even had a chance to read them,” said Martha Castellón, executive director of Understanding Language at Stanford’s School of Education.
Language skills rise, but fail to meet state targets
By Teresa Ristow, Mail Tribune
JACKSON COUNTY, Oregon, October 02, 2012—Nearly every school district in the county and the vast majority in the state failed to meet state standards in mainstreaming English language learning students. But the results don't tell the whole story, says one school administrator.
At least 355 of Jackson County’s 2,000 English language learning students were deemed proficient enough to move out of school language programs last year, a marked improvement from the previous year, according to a state report released Monday.
While districts locally met goals for moving students out of language programs in a timely process, nearly every district failed to make enough progress to meet state targets. Most of the local districts exceeded the statewide average.
Results from the 2011-12 Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives report can be complicated and the results sometimes misleading, according to Teresa Sayre, Phoenix-Talent School District’s director of instructional services.
Sayre said that while her district had just over 13 percent of students exit ELL programs last year, the majority of the district's 430 ELL students are in elementary school and most not old enough to have had five years of instruction, the state requirement for time to become language proficient.
Funding cuts to silence AmeriCorps program helping immigrants learn English
By Jayme Fraser, Seattle Times
July 13, 2012—More than a dozen programs in King County that teach basic English to adults could lose teachers because of recent cuts in federal funding.
The loss could affect as many as an estimated 4,000 adults taught by AmeriCorps members at sites ranging from St. James Cathedral and the King County Jail to Seattle Central Community College and the Metrocenter YMCA downtown.
A national service organization started in 1994, AmeriCorps relies on grants from an organization called the Corporation for National and Community Service, which partners with the federal government to pay stipends to volunteers who perform community service.
In 2009, Congress actually tripled funding for volunteer programs organized by the corporation, but this year, the corporation shifted its priorities to work done with homeless people, veterans and the elderly. It did not renew grants for some long-standing programs, including Literacy*AmeriCorps, a national wing of AmeriCorps.
The literacy program operated offices in seven cities, including Seattle, which used the annual grant to fund stipends of $12,100 each for AmeriCorps volunteers, who are referred to as members.
In Seattle, 25 AmeriCorps members taught basic English to adults and each year organized 700 unpaid volunteers to help. Together the AmeriCorps members and volunteers worked with 16 programs in King County.
Parents fume that kids treated like guinea pigs in English, math exams
NEW YORK CITY, April 18, 2012—Students will spend 270 minutes in English Language Arts assessment and 270 minutes on math exams, but some of the questions don’t even count.
Those dreaded state tests are here again.
All third-to eighth-graders in New York began Tuesday the first of three consecutive days of English Language Arts assessment, to be followed next week by three days of math tests.
And those state tests have never been longer.
A typical third-grader last year spent 150 minutes over three days taking the ELA test and 100 minutes over two days on the Math exam.
This year, all students will spend 270 minutes in the ELA exam and 270 minutes in the Math test — 90 minutes over each of six days.
The stakes also have never been higher, not for the pupils who take the tests or the teachers whose evaluations will be based on their students’ performance or the schools that could face closure if pupil scores drop.
Yet fewer of the answers public school children give this year on those tests will actually count toward their final score.
State education officials and their private testing firm, Pearson, have tossed in a large number of “field test” questions for the first time—questions that don’t count in the score but make it easier to design future tests.
New research on impact of schools, teachers on English learners
By Maggie Severns, EarlyEd.NewAmerica.net (blogpost)
March 27, 2012—Research on English language learners often focuses on whether children learn more when they are taught only in English or more when they are taught partly in the language they speak at home. A new paper by Wen-Jui Han, a professor at the New York University Silver School of Social Work, sheds light on a different question: how the characteristics of an ELL student’s school affects his or her ability to catch up academically with native English-speaking peers.
Han’s analysis, published in the Jan./Feb. 2012 issue of Child Development, demonstrated that although most ELL students with a Spanish-speaking background score lower than their English-speaking peers on kindergarten reading and math assessments, ELL students improved their academic performance faster than their native-English speaking peers. Han also found that when she controlled for a student’s school and home environment, bilingual students caught up to white, English-speaking students by fifth grade.
“I wanted to do this study because I really believe that when you can speak two languages, it’s an important asset,” Han said.
The study examined data on 16,380 children from the federal government’s Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K). White, non-Hispanic children were used as a control group for children from non-English language backgrounds. The data was collected between 1998 and 2004.
Dual-language programs growing in popularity across California
By Eleanor Yang Su, Huffingtonpost.com
CHULA VISTA, California, March 22, 2012—At Chula Vista Learning Community Charter School, students are taught lessons every week in a combination of Spanish, English and Mandarin. The public school, which has more than 400 students on its wait list, is hoping to eventually add a fourth language, the principal says, to better prepare pupils for the global economy.
“I think as we become more and more globally aware, we’re realizing that kids need to be prepared to be competitive in world markets,” said Principal Jorge Ramirez. “Kids need to be multilingual and multiliterate.”
From Chula Vista to Laguna Niguel and Sacramento, public schools are creating dual-language immersion programs at a fast pace. The California Department of Education estimates there are 318 bilingual immersion programs in the state, up from 201 in 2006.
“We have more research now that shows students who develop two or three languages to a high level have certain cognitive advantages,” said Julie Sugarman, a research associate with the Center for Applied Linguistics, a Washington, D.C.-based organization. “They do as well or better than their peers in English-only programs.”
California has long been considered a leader of the programs, establishing its first in the early 1980s.
Stung by row, UPSC allows regional language in main exam
By Vishwa Mohan, TNN
NEW DELHI, March 22, 2013—Succumbing to the pressure of those who were opposed to pro-English and pro-Hindi tilt of UPSC in civil services (Main) examination, the government on Thursday finally restored the status of other scheduled languages by bringing partial change in the March 5th notification allowing aspirants to take their test in any regional language.
Besides, aspirants can also opt for literature of any of the 22 eighth schedule languages and English as their optional subject even if they didn't study them during their undergraduate courses.
Under the fresh notification, the marks of English (100 marks as specified by March 5th notification) will also not be counted for making merit list of selected candidates for elite services like IAS, IFS, IPS and other central jobs.
The UPSC, however, increased the marks of essay paper from existing 200 to 250. The total marks in the Main exam will now be 1,750 - four papers of general studies (1,000), two papers of an optional subject (500) and essay (250).
Announcing the amendment to the commission's March 5 notification, minister of state for personnel, V Narayanasamy, said, “A candidate will be allowed to use any one regional language from the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India or English as the medium of writing the examination as before. The conditionality of a minimum of 25 candidates in that medium and the requirement to have that language as the medium of examination at graduation level is proposed to be dropped”.
As per the amendment, the English component (of 100 marks) from the essay paper will also be dropped and the two qualifying papers of 300 marks each in any modern Indian language and in English — as in previous years — will be restored.
“The essay paper will now be of 250 marks to be written in the medium/language of candidate's choice,” the minister said in Parliament.
Ex-diplomat seeks separate English language exam for IFS aspirants
NEW DELHI, October 4, 2012—To arrest the alarming decline in the standards of spoken and written English among Indian diplomats, a separate entrance exam must be held for aspiring Indian Foreign Service (IFS) personnel to test language proficiency, says veteran diplomat Prem K Budhwar.
Both the written test and the subsequent interview or personality test should be conducted in English alone for those desiring a spot in foreign service, Budhwar says in his new 174-page book.
This, he says, is necessary to check the slipping standards of English in the service.
While many countries were putting special emphasis on knowing English well and fast, “here in India we are gradually eroding this inherited advantage in the name of promoting the national language,” Budhwar says in “Making of a Diplomat.”
“If Indian diplomats expect to continue to play an active role on the world scene, it will be professionally and even socially almost suicidal to forego proficiency in the English language.
“In a disturbing recent trend, the FSTI (Foreign Service Training Institute) in Delhi has had to organise special coaching in English for some of the young entrants into the IFS,” he said.
“This is not only a far cry from the earlier days but reflective of a myopic approach to building up a truly fine and efficient Foreign Service cadre.
“This must be arrested before it is too late, and one way of doing so again would be a separate entrance examination for the IFS with English as the medium, both for the written test as well as subsequent interview or personality test…”
India lags behind China despite English language advantage
MUMBAI, July 27, 2012—Despite the English language advantage and the government’s enhanced focus on higher studies, India’s top educational and research institutes, including the IITs and IIMs, lag Chinese universities in global ranking.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings has nine universities from China in its 2012 list of Top 400 compared with just one from India. Another latest ranking by Guardian Higher Education Network shows nine Chinese universities among top 50 Asian universities, while no university from India makes it to the list.
China has been consistently scoring over India in higher education for several years, as reflected even in previous rankings.
The Times ranking, based on five broad parameters: teaching, research, citations, industry income or innovation and international outlook in terms of staff, students and research, covers subjects including engineering and technology, arts and humanities, health, life sciences, physical sciences and social sciences.
“China has invested heavily in infrastructure, research resources and that too from local councils and state bodies, not just from central government,” says Anil Gupta, professor and founder, Honey Bee Network, IIM-Ahmedabad.
The draft document of the 12th Five Year Plan proposes to increase investment on higher education to 25% of all government education spending, or 1.5% of GDP from the current 18% and 1.12% respectively. An increase of 0.38% of GDP means an additional allocation of about Rs25,000 crore to higher education for the Centre and the states together.
From “candy” to “serendipity”: Arabic words in the English language
March 26, 2013—The English language has absorbed all manner of Arabic words over the centuries. Surprising entries include the word “jar,” and “serendipity,” adapted from the Arabic language and now used with no reference to their Middle Eastern origin.
A selection of interesting and unexpected English words, derived from Arabic, highlight the historical relationship between the two cultures.
The word “assassin,” for example, comes from the Arabic “al-Hashashoon” meaning hashish eater. The word refers back to the Crusades in the 1200’s during which the leader of Northern Persia would send armed men on targeted killing missions while intoxicated with the drug.
“Ghoul,” a particularly frightening ghost, is also derived from Arabic, according to Gulf News on Tuesday. The word first appeared in Europe in 1712 in a French translation of the epic 1001 Arabian Nights.
“Serendipity” finds its root in “Serendip,” the Arabic denomination for Sri Lanka which is in turn derived from the Sanskrit name for the country, “Suvarnadweep.” The word was first introduced by English writer Horace Walpole in 1754 in his fairy tale “The Three Princes of Serendip.”
Surprisingly, a word as common as “jar” is also derived from Arabic. “Jarra” is the term used for a large earthenware container made of pottery. The first recorded use of the word in English was made in reference to olive oil containers in the 1400’s.
Will new English test facilitate communication in the classroom?
By Jin Kyung-ae, The Korea Herald
September 25, 2012—In many Asian countries, the English language proficiency test is one of the main pillars of the school gate. In these countries, English competency is not only an important asset for the individual or society in this global era, but also an important subject of the high-stakes test for college entrance. For this reason, the format of English language testing for college entrance in Asian countries and other EFL, or English as a Foreign Language, countries has a great impact on the teaching and study of English.
In this context, English education in Korea is a very important issue among parents and students. Even elementary-school students are aware that they have to learn English in order to get a good job in the future. Critics, however, point out that even ten years of formal English education in Korea have not given our students the ability to communicate effectively with foreigners. Of course, English is not a second or official language in Korea. Therefore, students have little opportunity to practice English outside of school. Do the students then have enough exposure or opportunities to interact in English in the classroom? Do teachers provide the students with enough chances to speak English?
In order to enhance practical English education, the Korean government has implemented “English Education Innovation to Enhance Practical English Education in Schools.” One of the strategies of this initiative for changing school education is to introduce a new English test, the National English Ability Test. The rationale for developing the NEAT is to promote and enhance practical and communicative English education in schools since the new test will include speaking and writing sections, while the current College Scholastic Ability Test only assesses reading and listening.
U.S. academic says reading best way to boost vocabulary
July 15, 2012—An American education expert says improving one’s reading ability is the quickest and easiest way to learn English as a second language.
Reading offers the easiest way, compared to writing and speaking, to be exposed to diverse vocabulary and usage of the language, said Malbert Smith, president and co-founder of MetaMetrics, a U.S.-based education research group.
“But to improve your reading skill, knowing your reading level and practice with (the) right material is important,” he said in an interview with The Korea Herald.
Smith was in Korea earlier this month to give advice on English education at a conference organized by the Korea Association of Teachers of English.
MetaMetrics, set up 28 years ago, is widely known for its educational tool, the Lexile Framework for Reading. The scale of reading ability is a scientific method designed to match readers of all ages with books, articles and other reading resources, according to Smith.
“We built a computer algorithm to analyze every word in a book and give it our Lexile scale. The lower the Lexile, the easier to read, and the higher Lexile, the harder to read,” he said.
English pass compulsory in SPM exams starting 2016
PORT DICKSON, March 9, 2013—English Language will be made a compulsory pass subject in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination in line with the implementation of the second wave of the National Education Development Plan in 2016, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today.
He said the matter was being fine-tuned by the Education Ministry with the hope that its implementation would reduce the percentage of students who failed the subject in the SPM examination.
“Going by the existing curriculum, about 20 per cent of our students failed their English Language papers, but I am confident that with the subject to be made compulsory, the percentage will drop.
“More so, if we see that the students need intervention because they are weak in the subject, we can provide tuition classes and focus on the weak students, by having extra classes at selected schools,” he told reporters after opening the ‘Strengthening of Literacy and Proficiency of English Language’ programme at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Baru Si Rusa, here Friday.
Also present were Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim and Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
The National Education Development Plan will be carried out in three phases, with the first wave implemented between 2012 and 2015, the second wave (2016-2020) and the third wave, which is the assessment phase, from 2021 to 2025.
Educators baffled by plan to ship in English teachers from India
KUALA LUMPUR, December 23, 2012―Putrajaya’s plan to import Indians to teach English in national schools appears to be meeting resistance from educators who doubt the government’s idea will help Malaysian students master the language.
Local English-language teachers and an education reform group polled by The Malaysian Insider voiced concern over what they saw as a short-term solution they said would unlikely benefit a multiracial class whose learning could be further hampered by coaches speaking in an unfamiliar accent.
“I think the question is, why do we need foreigners to teach Malaysians?” asked Khairun Nisa who teaches the language subject in a public high school in Manjung, Perak.
The 27-year-old debunked as myth the government’s claimed shortage of teachers in the language regarded as the lingua franca worldwide.
She said the existing teaching manpower was sufficient to coach students if merely passing school and national-level examinations were all the Ministry of Education (MOE) wanted.
“What are we trying to achieve? To what level of proficiency [do] we want our students to grasp?” she asked further.
“Teachers can’t even transfer into my district. Doesn’t that show that English teachers are enough?” she claimed, explaining that red tape was more to blame than an actual teacher shortage in the language subject.
Khairun said that the government would do better to train more local teachers rather than resorting to importing English-language teachers.
37,000 teachers to benefit from English up-skilling course
PUTRAJAYA, November 28, 2012—The Professional Up-skilling of English Language Teachers (Pro-ELT) programme has been rolled out to train and improve the language proficiency of teachers nationwide.
Under the programme, approximately 37,000 English Language option teachers will be trained in phases.
It is a programme aimed at helping to strengthen the teachers' grasp in the language so that students can also attain proficiency.
Education Ministry Teaching Professionalism Development deputy director Datuk Dr Khair Mohamad Yusof said the programme had been introduced earlier this month and by January, there would be 2,270 teachers participating in the programme.
“For the initial stage, the ministry is planning to train 5,000 English Language option teachers. The programme has since been introduced in Kelantan, Malacca and Pahang and the ministry has received positive response from the participants.
“It will be introduced in Kedah and Terengganu in January,” he said during a briefing on the programme yesterday.
He added that phase two of the programme would involve 2,730 teachers and would begin in February next year, in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Perlis, Johor, Negri Sembilan, Sabah and Sarawak.
Khair said teachers who were currently undergoing the programme would come under the the B1 and B2 (independent user) bands, which meant that the teachers were able to participate independently in higher level of language interaction.
Singapore’s PSLE English paper to be revised
SINGAPORE, September 4, 2012—In line with a new English syllabus to equip students with language skills needed for daily communication, the English Language paper for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) will be revised, starting for the cohort taking the exam in 2015.
Among the changes: A new visual text comprehension section in Paper 2 in the form of multiple choice questions. Pupils will also write a narrative or exposition based on visuals, rather than two questions with fixed scenarios in the current format.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Education (MOE) also announced that the revised English syllabus—which was launched in 2010—will be implemented for students from Primary 4 onwards next year.
The new syllabus “incorporates a sharper focus on 21st century competencies to enable our students to communicate effectively and confidently in the globalised world”, the MOE said.
It does so by “giving students greater scope for providing personal response in speaking and writing” and by placing a “greater emphasis on viewing skills integrated with listening and reading”, the ministry said.
The key feature of the new syllabus is a “systematic approach to teaching language skills, using rich texts and a variety of language resources to enable students to appreciate the language beyond the classroom”, the MOE added.
Taxi drivers in Thailand get crash course in English
BANGKOK—July 23, 2012—The Asean Economic Community’s arrival in 2015 will concern business people of all sizes, from major corporation heads down to individual taxi drivers.
Around 1,000 taxi drivers participated in the second Taxi Thai, Hua Jai Inter English training programme, organised by Traffic Radio Society FM 99.5.
The changes that the AEC will bring, including a common business language of English, are being recognised by some drivers, who are making the necessary adjustments.
Wiset Bangwiset, a 38-year-old taxi driver, admits that in the past he would often refuse to stop for foreigners because he could speak only Thai and he was nervous about communicating with them.
Now, with the AEC less than three years away, he recognises the importance of foreign customs and the likelihood that the number of foreign passengers will increase.
He decided to attend a customer service and English-language training course and now always opens his door to foreigners so that he may increase his confidence in dealing with them.
“Previously, I could say only ‘yes’, no’ and ‘OK’ in English,” said Mr Wiset, who has driven a cab for 13 years.
Now, he can engage in basic English conversations and has learned key phrases for his profession such as “it takes about one hour to get there”, “it is faster to take the expressway but the toll fee is your expense”, and “do you have smaller bills?”.
Homebuilders in Thailand told to learn English
May 5, 2012—Thai homebuilders need to improve their professional standards and English language skills as well as build up their brands and databases to stay competitive in an open market environment by 2015 for the Asean Economic Community.
Patchara Tantayanyong, president of the Home Builder Association (HBA), said English would play an important role when the AEC is implemented, as a single market needs a universal language for business to flow around the region.
Many Asean residents can speak English, but only a handful of Thais can speak English fluently, particularly in the private construction and homebuilding business, she said.
Ms. Patchara said small private contractors often face problems in service, design and construction standards. The HBA plans to upgrade home building standards with in-depth training to prepare staff for the AEC.
“Consumers will be more discerning of quality, standards and reliability when the market expands,” she added.
Vice-president Suratchai Kuenghakit said among Asean countries, the most competent homebuilders are the Vietnamese, as they can build a house in about half the time as Thais.
Asian languages for students challenges English dominance
June 14, 2012—While universities in China have been rushing headlong into teaching in English, the Yunnan provincial government in the south-west has announced an ambitious initiative to train students to become proficient in South East Asian languages, in preparation for the ASEAN – Association of South East Asian Nations – economic community to be set up by 2015.
According to an announcement in late May by the authorities in Yunnan, which borders on Myanmar (Burma), Laos and Vietnam, some 100,000 students will be taught South East Asian languages by 2015. The scheme involves all of the province’s 28 universities and colleges.
The move is part of a wider push in China towards economic and trade relations with the ASEAN. Courses in the languages of ASEAN member countries have opened in dozens of Chinese universities, the official news agency Xinhua reported in December.
In Yunnan, students interested in foreign languages will be encouraged to consider South East Asian languages as alternatives to English, with officials hoping that students of economics, trade and international affairs will also take part, official media said.
“Some people [in China’s government] are arguing against the domination of English, which is strongly promoted in all of China,” said Anwei Feng, director of the graduate school at Bangor University’s College of Education and an expert on multilingualism and minorities education in China.
Word of advice to English-language teachers in China: drop Shakespeare
By Cheng Yingqi, Chinadaily.com.cn
BEIJING, May 18, 2012—Is Shakespeare outdated for English majors? The question came up when more than 100 foreign language deans gathered in Beijing to discuss the training of practical linguistic talent.
The two-day forum, which ends on Saturday, convened at Beihang University. The deans are expected to reach a declaration for action arising from the gathering.
This is the eighth foreign-language deans' forum since 2005, held jointly by the Higher Education Press and its subsidiary magazine, Foreign Languages in China.
The forum is regarded as a platform to improve English teaching in China.
Zheng Zhiming , vice-president of Beihang University, said the goal of college English teaching is to improve students’ cross-cultural interactions and communications.
“China is trying to improve its education quality. Consequently, enhancing students’ English skill, as well as their understanding of foreign culture, is crucial for education reform,” Zheng said.
Beihang University emphasizes cultural background teaching in its English classes, according to Zheng.
Shanghai police brush up with English
By Wang Hongyi, China Daily
SHANGHAI, April 9, 2012—Senior police officers in Shanghai are taking English-language training courses to help them better deal with increasing numbers of foreign nationals in the city.
About 100 top-level officers from the city's public security bureau and district bureau chiefs began their nine-month courses at the weekend.
“More and more foreigners are coming to work and live here, and this presents greater challenges for the city's police,” said Guo Yonghua, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau.
“The city’s public security departments have been looking to develop high-quality police officers to deal with the demands of foreign affairs.”
English-language training company Wall Street English have developed a range of tailor-made courses, including “senior police officer English ability training,” “Shanghai police officer online English learning and social practice,” and “oral English corner.”
The courses focus on improving English listening and speaking skills, with native speakers providing one-on-one training. Trainees will do the courses in their spare time.
Lost in translation
CNA Staff Writer, TaipehTimes.com
For foreigners hoping to get a taste of life in Taiwan, previous visitors may well warn them about insufficient information in rural areas or about the scooters that come from out of nowhere on the streets.
It is becoming increasingly urgent for the central and local governments to fix these problems as the nation welcomes a rising number of tourists and other visitors.
A record 7.3 million people visited the nation last year.
While traveling in cities is often easier because of the availability of information, venturing into the countryside can be more difficult.
Although the Tourism Bureau has provided information about tourist sites in the countryside, including travel advice, a number of foreigners found this information difficult to understand.
“Speaking of travel information, tourist guidebooks such as the Lonely Planet would still be our first choice,” said Eric Canzano, a 25-year-old American.
Canzano said that he hoped English-language maps with basic rail transfer information could be found more easily in rural areas so that travelers like himself could stay informed during trips.
Nikhil Sonnad, who has lived in Taiwan for four years, concurred.
The lack of English-language services and inconsistent road and traffic signs have topped his list of travel inconveniences, he said.
Quebec community fights to keep English language high school
LOW, Quebec, March 29, 2013—Students, parents and community members in the Outaouais are rallying around the last English-language high school in the region as the province lays out plans to close St. Michael’s in Low.
If the plan goes ahead, students in Grades seven to 11 will have to bus 1 1/2 hours each way to and from classes at Philemon Wright high school in Hull and, while the province might save about $250,000 a year on short-term operating costs, the community fears the long-term cost to students and English speakers in the Gatineau valley could be grave.
Student council president Hayley Carroll Paré, 16, said she might have drowned in shyness at a larger school but that the supportive atmosphere at St. Michael’s helped to pull her out of her shell.
“St. Mike’s is a place where you learn to love every weird and quirky part about yourself and embrace it because St. Mike’s is unique and it makes us unique,” she said to resounding applause from the audience.
Citing budget cuts by the ministry of education, rising costs of building maintenance, and across-the-board enrolment down 20 per cent since 2001, Paul Lamoureux, director general of the Western Quebec School Board, laid out a dismal financial picture for the crowd of 350 at a consultation session Thursday evening.
English-rights activists worried about proposed Quebec language law
By Benjamin Shingler, The Canadian Press
MONTREAL, February 17, 2013—English-rights activists in Quebec are raising concerns about a proposed new language law they say infringes on their rights.
The new law is intended to build on Quebec’s landmark language legislation, Bill 101, to protect and strengthen French in the province.
But protesters say they feel under attack by Premier Pauline Marois’ Parti Québécois government.
They are concerned about new rules designed to encourage French in small businesses, municipalities and post-secondary education.
Christopher Rose, a 27-year-old Montrealer, says the law takes away the rights of English-speaking Quebecers.
He says Montreal is a multicultural city and people should be able to make their own decisions about language.
“We still belong to the country of Canada and we still have our rights,” he said.
“There shouldn’t be any quarrels here in Quebec... There’s nothing wrong with being bilingual, there’s nothing wrong with English, and there’s nothing wrong with French either.”
Stricter language screening for would-be Canadian citizens starts in November
The Canadian Press
September 28, 2012—Would-be Canadians will be required to submit tangible proof of how well they speak English or French beginning this November.
The new requirements were unveiled last year and will see citizenship applicants given three ways to prove their proficiency.
Applicants will have to submit results of a government-approved third-party language test, show they’ve finished high school or post-secondary education in English or French or prove they’ve received an appropriate level of language education via government-funded training programs.
Knowledge of French or English has been a requirement to obtain citizenship since 1977, but Immigration Minister Jason Kenney had sought to find an objective way to prove proficiency.
It used to be assessed as part of the general citizenship test and related interview.
That will still be part of the criteria but before would-be citizens even get to that step, they’ll have to submit the evidence as part of their overall application.
The changes come into effect as of November 1.
An analysis published in April found the new rules could have the effect of decreasing the number of citizenship applications, as people hold back in order to seek out language training.
Talk to your doctor in 170 languages: GTA launches 24/7 medical interpreter service
By Nicholas Keung, TheStar.com
TORONTO, October 1, 2012—Truc Thanh Nguyen is happily in remission now after learning she had breast cancer two years ago - a diagnosis made all the more difficult by her inability to communicate directly with her doctor. In such situations, translation services are a lifesaver for many immigrants.
It was scary enough to be told she had breast cancer. Even worse for Truc Thanh Nguyen, a Vietnamese immigrant, she didn’t understand a word the doctor was saying.
“I was sad, worried and scared because I could not understand what was going on in my body,” Nguyen, 46, said later through an interpreter. “It makes a big difference if you can understand your doctor and express yourself and ask questions.”
Fortunately, Princess Margaret Hospital, through its in-house interpretation services, was able to come to Nguyen’s aid two years ago when she got the diagnosis. She’s now in remission.
“I hope all patients who can’t speak English can get the help, so they don’t feel lost, lonely and depressed,” said the mother of two, who has worked in factory jobs ever since joining her husband in Toronto in 1992.
As of Tuesday, Nguyen’s wish is one step closer as the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) launches the first 24/7, GTA-wide medical interpretation service.
Hospitals and clinics used to provide interpretation services in a piecemeal way. Some bought telephone interpretation services, paying rates ranging from $1.70 to $8 per minute.
The LHIN is now coordinating bulk purchasing, giving 19 GTA hospitals and 14 community agencies access to 24-hour interpretation services in 170 languages, including aboriginal languages, at $1.44 or less a minute, depending on monthly usage.
Quebec language police crack down on retailers with English-only signs
MONTREAL, June 20, 2012—Major Canadian retailers are preparing to fight Quebec’s language police to keep their trademarks intact, in the face of threatened prosecution of English-named companies that include no French in their storefront signage.
Montreal’s downtown streets and suburban shopping malls are awash with such brands as Banana Republic, Old Navy, Sunglass Hut, Foot Locker and Home Depot, and the Office québécois de la langue française has decided things have gone too far.
The Office last month began mailing warnings to dozens of companies that have not co-operated with its push to have stores with trademarked English names add generic French terms to their signs. For example, Second Cup has added “les cafés” before its name and the eyewear chain New Look added “lunetterie.”
Nathalie St-Pierre, the Retail Council of Canada’s vice-president for Quebec, said her organization disputes the Office’s interpretation of the French Language Charter, also known as Bill 101.
The law states that business names must be in French, but accompanying regulations grant an exemption for trademarked names in languages other than French. Office spokesman Martin Bergeron said another section of the regulations obliges such companies to include a “generic” French term to describe their activities.
Teacher “re-education” need for English teaching in Vietnam
March 27, 2013—English learning and teaching have been a bone of contention for years in Vietnam as teacher qualifications and assessment methodologies are blamed for students’ failure to use the language in real life. These two issues are a major problem.
Vietnamese students start studying English as early as middle school, with many even learning it in elementary school or kindergarten – just like many other countries where it is spoken as a second language – but few of them can speak the language fluently when they leave high school.
“Students who have studied English for seven years beginning in grade six are often not able to use English beyond simple greetings and questions such as ‘hello,’ ‘good-bye,’ and ‘what’s your name?’” says Dr. Diana L. Dudzik, a senior fellow at an education ministry project on foreign language improvement.
Many have attributed myriad reasons to this problem, but everything seems to boil down to unqualified teachers and an outdated testing model.
Recent statistics on teacher performance on assessment exams may have discouraged local education officials who planned to spend VND10 trillion (US$480 million) on a national proposal, Project 2020 (refer to box for further information), to improve the foreign language, primarily English, learning and teaching system.
Thousands of teachers in 30 provinces and cities were required to sit for a test prepared last year by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), which used guidelines from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages to check their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.
$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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
Thai engineers need English skills and cultural awareness
July 9, 2012—English language skills and an understanding of local cultures and laws will help Thai engineers compete with their regional peers once the Asean Economic Community (AEC) opens cross-border trade in engineering services in 2015.
Suwat Chaopricha, president of the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT), said local licences, recognition from other Asean countries and English language are needed once engineers are allowed to move within the region.
Engineers need to understand other cultures, as half the Asean population is Muslim.
“Thai engineers should not be afraid of AEC as their competence and capability are second to none in the region,” said Mr Suwat, also president of construction firm Ritta Co. “English language is necessary but engineers can communicate with technician’s language.”
He said the Conference of Asean Federation of Engineering Organisations (CAFEO) would develop a regional licence for engineers in each country to work across borders. This year’s CAFEO will be held in Cambodia with female engineers as the theme.
EIT, which will celebrate its 70th anniversary next year, will hold Thailand Engineering Expo 2012 from Thursday to Sunday at Impact Muang Thong Thani. The event titled “Increasing Thailand’s Competency in Engineering Challenges” will have exhibitions, engineering innovation showcases and over 60 seminars covering all branches of engineering.
Parents get $6,000 bill for child’s English help
By Lincoln Tan, New Zealand Herald
AUCKLAND, January 26, 2013—The Korean parents of a Year 7 student are being billed more than $6000 by an Auckland school for helping to improve his knowledge of English.
The principal of Takapuna Normal Intermediate School, Owen Alexander, wrote to the parents two months after enrolling the child as a domestic student, saying the boy had “found it very hard to adjust to his new school environment because of his limited English”.
The letter said: “We strongly recommend that (he) receives support from a learning assistant for three hours each day during regular school hours, so that his knowledge of English will improve quickly.
“This will also help him to understand the routines and expectations of the school, form friendships with other students and to be happy and successful in this new learning environment.”
The student’s father, who did not wish to be named, told the Weekend Herald Mr Alexander had said the support was meant to help his son adapt to his new country and make friends at school.
Although international students at the school pay $12,400 plus GST in annual fees, the father said his son was eligible to study as a domestic student because he was in New Zealand on a long-term work visa as a South Korean government employee.
However, he was invoiced $6,106.50 for the services of a language assistant who was used for three hours each day in the last two terms of last year.
The charge-out rate for the service as stated in the invoice was $15 an hour.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
Pilots in Brazil to retake English proficiency tests
By Stan Lehman, Associated Press
SAO PAULO, July 14, 2012—Nearly 40 Brazilian pilots who fly international routes must retake English proficiency tests on suspicions they are not fluent enough, Brazil’s Civil Aeronautics Agency said Friday, raising questions about air travel safety.
The agency, known as ANAC, said 37 pilots obtained English proficiency certificates from Spain’s Flight Crew Training Academy, with which it signed an agreement to administer the tests in late 2011. ANAC spokeswoman Karen Bonfim said Brazilian pilots no longer take the tests at the Spanish institution.
In May, ANAC conducted a study that showed the proficiency tests administered in Spain did not comply with the standards demanded by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization, Bonfim said. Suspicions started emerging earlier this year after ANAC noticed “a higher than average number” of pilots going to Spain for their certificates after failing earlier tests administered by ANAC in Brazil.
A working knowledge of English is required for pilots flying internationally.
“Poor English-language proficiency has a pretty big implication because poor communications can endanger safety and lead to an accidents,” said Kevin L. Hiatt, chief operating officer of the Virginia-based Flight Safety Foundation, an industry-supported group that promotes aviation safety worldwide.
Hiatt said that by understanding each other clearly a “situational awareness between pilot and air traffic controllers is created ensuring them that traffic is being controlled in order to keep everyone safe.”
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.
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.
Few school spots for English-speaking children in Hong Kong
By Vanessa Ko, SmartPlanet.com
HONG KONG, March 14, 2013—In Hong Kong, five-year-olds have resumes listing violin lessons, horse-riding sessions, language classes and more, and interview to get into a prestigious school.
But in the past few years, families whose children speak English have had to face a difficult road of getting their children into any school, especially an affordable one.
“It is extremely stressful not knowing if your child is going to be accepted into a school. It’s not simply a question of finding another school. If your child is not accepted, what do you do? Home school?” said Amanda Chapman, a British teacher who moved to Hong Kong 15 years ago.
Chapman, whose husband is Filipino, raised her daughter to speak English and Tagalog at home, only to realize when she hit age 4 that this decision would affect her ability to find a primary school.
In the city, public schools teach in Cantonese. English-language schools are divided into private international schools, which are expensive and hard to get into, and government-subsidized English schools, which are cheaper — and extremely selective.
Right now, there are more children on the waiting list to get into a subsidized English-language kindergarten –1,403 — than the 1,163 who are enrolled, according to Janet De Silva, who heads the education affairs committee of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Hong Kong.
Private international schools cost up to US$1,800 in tuition per month, often requiring a one-time entry fee of perhaps US$2,000. In some cases, parents or companies can buy debentures possibly worth US$250,000, which give a child top priority in applying to the school.
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…”
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.
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.
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.
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.
English test canceled in Iran due to banking sanctions
TEHRAN, April 15, 2012 (AP)—Iranian media say a popular English-language test has been canceled because organizers in Iran were unable to pay their British partner due to banking sanctions against the Islamic country.
News websites say Iranian applicants were expected to take the International English Language Testing System exam April 12 and 14 but were told by organizers that the test has been canceled.
The independent news website, fararu.com, quoted Mohammad Hossein Sororeddin, a senior Iranian cultural official, as saying “technical problems regarding the transfer of money” caused the cancellation.
Iran is facing tough economic sanctions from the European Union over its controversial nuclear program.
English-speaking foreigners earn degrees in Russia
March 21, 2013—Russia has recently been developing more and more English-language programs at its universities, including the first-ever English-language bachelor’s degree at MGIMO in Moscow and various English-language master’s degrees at St. Petersburg State University. Experts say foreign students are also attracted to Russian institutions because of prestigious lecturers and lower tuition rates than in the West.
“I’m a 25-year-old student from Luxembourg,” says Dominic Chevolet, who is two years into a master’s degree in political science at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). “To come to Russia with absolutely no knowledge of the Russian language was a challenge for me.”
Сhevolet is one of thousands of foreign students studying in Russia. Unlike many of those who study here, he does not speak Russian and has not had to spend a year trying to reach the required level of proficiency to start attending regular, Russian-language classes. He is studying for his master’s degree, but it is also possible to study for a bachelor's degree at MGIMO.
School of Government and International Affairs, which was incorporated into MGIMO in 2013, features the first undergraduate degree in Russia to be taught entirely in English. The program is focused primarily on foreign students.
“The English-speaking bachelor’s program is not simply a copy of the Russian language program at MGIMO,” says Yan Vaslavskiy, acting director of the MGIMO School of Government and International Affairs. “In addition to scientific disciplines, the program will cover a broad historical background, because we’re training professionals whose future work will in some way be linked with Russia. This is the reason foreign students are coming to study in our country.”
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.
Naples ESU holds Churchill Dinner to defray English-speaking contest
By Lance Shearer, Naples Daily News
NAPLES, March 7, 2013—The English language complex, frustrating, difficult to master, in which seemingly every rule comes with an exception is nevertheless one of the glories and crowning achievements of our civilization. English unites our disparate nation, and its endless shades of meaning and nuance make possible the expression of ideas from crude to flowery, from sweeping to technically precise.
In Naples, an organization exists which has taken as its mission the recognition and furtherance of that language. The English Speaking Union, or ESU, is the local branch of an international organization founded in 1918, to bind together English-speaking countries with the goal of maintaining and promoting peace.
The Naples ESU branch takes a practical approach to improving English-language skills they start in the schools. On Feb. 23 at Moorings Presybterian Church, the ESU sponsored their annual Shakespeare Competition, in which high school students spoke the words of the greatest writer in English, or perhaps in any language, and vied to win hundreds of dollars and a trip to New York.
The students drew lots to determine which spoke first, and were held in a separate “green room,” so they couldn’t hear the others’ performance, contributing to the tension that built in the room as the competition progressed.
Each of the five finalists performed a monologue from one of Shakespeare’s plays, as well as one of his sonnets they had chosen. Winner Zachary Krietermeyer of Naples High School, coached by English teacher Denise Gosselin-Rubiano, gave a soliloquy by the character Bottom from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” He was buoyed by the support of a contingent of his Naples High classmates who showed up to cheer him on.
“It’s inspiring, beyond incredible, what those students do, how those young men and women understand and inhabit the words of Shakespeare,” said ESU Naples branch president Richard Smarg…
Pearson to boost English skills of Saudi students
RIYADH, November 30, 2012—UK-based Pearson, a leading learning company, has entered into a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial College, aiming to assess English language competencies of between 5,000 and 6,000 Saudi students each year.
The English language tests used under the agreement will have all four skills machine-scored, using sophisticated scoring engines that research has shown to be at least as reliable as human raters, ensuring the integrity of the results.
Pearson’s internationally acclaimed Versant testing will be employed to accurately test learners’ English levels.
The Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic, which is recognized and accepted across the globe by more than 3,000 academic institutions, professional bodies and the UK and Australian border agencies, will also be introduced in the foreseeable future, a statement said.
The test uses the latest security measures, including state of the art biometrics, to ensure the integrity of the test.
As Saudi Arabia’s economy becomes increasingly globalised, academic institutions are recognizing the need to equip their students with robust English language skills.
More than two billion people are currently learning English around the world; and throughout the Middle East, graduates with strong English skills find employment more quickly than their non-English speaking counterparts, and earn significantly higher salaries.
English posing a threat to local languages‚ say experts
LALITPUR, December 29, 2012—Educationists have expressed worry that increasing use of English as the medium of instruction at school has posed a threat to local languages, including Nepali, and government schools that use these languages as their medium of instruction.
At the third district conference of Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association, Associate Professor of the Tribhuvan University, Meera Shrestha, criticised the trend of sending children to English medium schools at the cost of mother tongue.
Asked about provisions governing the selection of medium of instruction, Kathmandu District Education Officer, Baikuntha Aryal, said the government policy allows schools to choose either Nepali or English as the medium of instruction.
“The policy does not bar the selection of English as the medium of instruction, though it also calls for imparting primary education in children’s mother tongue launguage,” added Aryal.
Pointing at the rising trend of using English as the medium of instruction, teacher at Lalitpur-based Mahendra Adarsha Higher Secondary School (MAHSS), Om Prakash Baiba, said his school had to switch to English due to stiff competition.
Out of a total of 286 schools in the Kathmandu Valley, a majority have already switched to English medium, according to DEO Aryal. “However, many schools have to hire teachers on their own as the government-paid teachers cannot teach in English,” added Aryal.
