Three Philippine universities land in global rankings by subject

May 9, 2013—Three Philippine universities have landed in a global list of top universities based on 30 disciplines, with their best performances seen in the English language.

The University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University belonged to the top 200 in the “QS World University Ranking by Subject 2013.”

The list was released by London-based education consultant Quacquarelli Symonds, the same firm which showed Philippine schools slipping down its 2012-2103 general university rankings.

Based on subject, however, QS ranked UP and Ateneo as part of the top 51-100 schools for English language and literature. La Salle was in the top 101-150 for the same subject.

Ateneo was also included in the top 151-200 in the global ranking for modern languages. UP was meanwhile in the top 151-200 schools for agriculture and forestry.

The global university rankings by subject is based on assessments of academics and employers of university graduates through a global survey. This year it included 2,858 schools in evaluations but only ranked 678 institutions.

U.S. schools led the rankings in most subjects, with Harvard University topping 10 disciplines. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology was ranked first in seven subjects; the University of California-Berkeley and Oxford University in four subjects; and Cambridge in three subjects.

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Filipino bet wins First Voice of Asia international speech tilt

MANILA, April 17, 2013—A 16-year-old Bicolano was hailed as the first ever champion in the first Voice of Asia International speech competition held at the Tanghalan Yaman Lahi of the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) in Manila on Wednesday.

Six high school students from different countries competed—Frinsen Johnny Hutagalung of Indonesia, Feras Abdulrahman Al Anazi for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dzung Hoang of Vietnam, Ye Eun Park of South Korea; Liu Hui Tse of Taiwan and Aloysius Francis Bresnan of the Philippines.

In the semifinal round, the contestants were asked to make a speech answering questions like “Does the Internet makes teachers unnecessary?” “Should Asian students read more Asian books rather than European books?” “Who is more effective in making you learn, a teacher who lectures through the whole class all the time or a teacher who works with you individually?” and “Should students be forced to compete in at least one sport?”

In the final round, they were asked to listen to a recorded speech—about the positive and negative aspects of traditional books and ebooks—and to explain their stand.

Bresnan of the Philippines won the grand price of $500 with full scholarship from the dual degree program of the Manila Times College and EAC. He was followed by South Korea’s bet Park, who received $300 and a full scholarship. Taiwanese Liu was the 2nd runner up with a prize of $250 and full scholarship. Anazi, Hoang and Hutagalung, ranked 3rd, 4th and 5th, respectively and received $200, $150, $100 and partial scholarship.

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Ateneo offers oral communication skills seminar for effective teaching

QUEZON CITY, April 30, 2012—Have fun, meet other teachers, and upgrade your oral communication skills this summer by joining the “English Practice in the Classroom: Oral Communications Skills for Effective Teaching” seminar offered by the Ateneo Center for English Language Teaching (ACELT).

Slated on May 20 to 24, the seminar/workshop aims to build the basic oral communications skills of teachers from all levels (Grade School, High School, or College) by equipping them with skills in presenting lessons, discussing ideas, and facilitating classroom activities. The workshop will be facilitated by Nanette Fernandez, Executive Director of ACELT and Len Canilao, Instructor at the English Department. It will be held at the Social Sciences Conference Rooms 1 and 2, Ateneo de Manila University. The whole workshop costs P5000, inclusive of handouts and certificates.

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. In case of cancellation, the fee is non-refundable but transferable to the next ACELT Conference. The first 15 participants with 50 percent down payment (P2500) will get a free copy of the British Council Motivating Learning on DVD Teacher Training Series.

Register at the ACELT Office, Ground Floor De La Costa Hall or call Ms. Vicky Calderon at Telefax (02) 426 4322 or (02) 426 6001 local 5315.

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Ateneo offers summer program on Teaching English in Multilingual Settings

MANILA, April 7, 2013—The Ateneo Center for English Language Teaching (ACELT), in cooperation with the English Department of the Ateneo de Manila University, will be offering a four-week program on Teaching English in Multilingual Settings (TEEMS).

The program will run for four weeks (90 hours) from April 15 to May 10, 2013. The program is open to all—especially to public school teachers of English. It seeks to address the needs of English language teachers who are expected to implement the MTMBLE and the K to 12 directives of the DepEd.

A highlight of the TEEMS program is a research symposium where invited local ELT scholars and researchers will present their research studies about teaching English in non-native, multilingual contexts such as the Philippines. The symposium is scheduled on April 27 (Saturday) from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Participants will be informed of the venues for the classes and the symposium.

The program content includes 3 major courses:

—Theories of language and language learning that introduces the basic concepts of applied linguistics, theories of language and language learning, and their applications to teaching, especially in non-native, multilingual contexts such as the Philippines;

—Materials design and development which deals with the principles and techniques of designing instructional materials for all levels of learning taking into account current innovations in the teaching and learning of language and literature.

—Principles and practice in language teaching which is an introduction to the different ways by which language teaching has been approached and practiced owing to the influence of ongoing research in language description, as well as the development of thinking in the area of language learning…

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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.

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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”.

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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.

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Booze and bungalows: global roots of English go on show

LONDON, April 4, 2013 (Reuters)— “Zombies,” “booze,” and “bungalow”—three words demonstrating the worldwide roots of English, a language whose global impact goes on show in a new London exhibition.

“The English Effect” created by UK cultural organization the British Council is a three-part examination of the personal, economic and global benefits of a language used across a modern world historically shaped by the former British Empire.

The Council, which teaches English around the planet, has released a list of 10 English words with foreign roots to highlight a show divided into “Changing Lives”, “Economic Benefits” and “Global Language” interactive zones.

“English is not just ‘our’ language - it truly belongs to the whole world, and brings real benefits to anyone who can speak it,” said British Council Director of Strategy John Worne.

In the exhibition, footballers Didier Drogba and Petr Cech talk about how the language helps them express themselves and understand their colleagues. Visitors will be able to write or tweet their own stories and add them to a “talking wall.”

Economic Benefits investigates the value of the English language to the UK economy - and the economic benefits for English-speaking countries around the world.

Global Language displays a giant map of the world showing the extent to which English has evolved by absorbing words from other languages, looking at words that have come into English from other parts of the world.

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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?’”

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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.

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English education and English sheepdogs
By Amy Chavez, JapanTimes.co.jp

May 25, 2013—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aims to globalize Japan’s workforce and says that Japan must become more competitive in the English language. This has touched off a debate among native English teachers, Japanese who teach English, Japanese speakers who don’t speak English, and English sheepdogs owned by both Japanese and English speakers.

On one hand, you have people who ask why Japanese people should be required to study English at all since English is not used in Japan, the country where most students will spend the rest of their lives working for a Japanese company. On the other hand, people say that Japan needs to learn English to keep up with the rest of the world. The few strays not in either camp say, “Woof!”

Whereas internationalization was the big thing a decade or so ago, and droves of students were studying overseas to gain a broader understanding of language and the world, nowadays Japanese people are turning inward, seeking domestic solutions. They’re beginning to think, “Why should I go abroad, risk getting shot or car-jacked by someone in America, when I can just stay and study here in Japan?”

The question is, did all that previous domestic internationalization combined with study abroad make Japanese more competitive in the global workforce? If so, shouldn’t we still be reaping the benefits? Japan seems to have forgotten about this part of its recent history, the results of which could help shape their future in English language education.

In an attempt to get Japanese speaking better English, the Liberal Democratic Party is thinking of doubling the number of Assistant Language Teachers in the next three years. Is that like double mint or double fudge? Twice as much has got to be better? Keep in mind that the number of ALTs was just recently reduced when the Democratic Party of Japan targeted ALTs as “wasteful spending.” Why has no one done any assessments to gauge if the number of ALTs makes a difference in students’ English comprehension?

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TOEFL is vital to communicating in English, says LDP panel

April 5, 2013—English-language education at public schools should shift in emphasis to verbal communications skills, and for that purpose, universities must adopt the Test of English as a Foreign Language for entrance exams, the head of the Liberal Democratic Party’s education reform panel said.

If the TOEFL is introduced in line with the panel’s proposal, it would drastically change public English-language education at junior high and high schools, Toshiaki Endo, head of the panel and a Lower House member from Yamagata Prefecture, said in a recent interview with The Japan Times.

The panel is currently putting together a policy recommendation on improving students’ academic standards, including their English. Once it is finalized, the LDP is expected to formally propose it to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the near future.

“Efforts have been made for years to improve (English-language education at public schools), but little has been changed,” Endo said, arguing such schools have failed to teach students practical English and train them to communicate in the language.

If TOEFL, which includes speaking and listening comprehension tests, is introduced for university entrance exams, it would force all high schools to teach English in a way that enhances communication skills more so that students have a shot at higher TOEFL scores, Endo said.

“There’s no other way left to change (the current English teaching system in state schools). We need to set an attainment goal” for students to achieve high TOEFL scores, he said.

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As ranks of English language learners swell, Nevada considers funding them
By Michelle Rindels, Associated Press

LAS VEGAS, May 26, 2013—It’s early one Thursday morning at Jay W. Jeffers Elementary School in Las Vegas, and Lisa Cabrera-Terry’s voice is spilling from the first grade classroom where she’s reading about an illiterate grandma who surprises her family by learning to read.

Cabrera-Terry takes a fat marker to a sheet of poster paper and adds to a wheel-shaped diagram of words that describe feelings.

“If your face beams, you’re sooooo happy,” she said. “Why are they so happy about grandma reading?”

To the untrained eye, the lesson is nothing unusual. But Cabrera-Terry is at a school where 83 percent of incoming kindergartners don’t speak English, where you take every picture book page slow and where you tell students exactly what “astonished” means and explicitly that it’s a word to describe a feeling.

It’s a classroom like so many others in Nevada, which is home to the highest density of English language learners in the nation, at 31 percent. What’s taking place in those classrooms — and what is not — has parents worried, some lawmakers concerned and a civil rights group investigating.

If the percentages hold, fewer than one in three of these fresh-faced first graders will wear a cap and gown. Just 29 percent of English language learners, called ELL students, ever graduate from Nevada high schools, according to federal data.

While there’s ongoing debate about the most effective ways to teach the tens of thousands of students who fall in that category, the main focus of the debate over the state’s high ELL failure rate comes down to money.

“What has always held us back as Nevadans is this ideology that we can’t expand the revenue pie,” said Sylvia Lazos, director of the Immigration Clinic at Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “The real question is: What does it take to give these kids a chance to succeed?”

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State Department launches educational game on American English

April 3, 2013—The U.S. Department of State has partnered with The SuperGroup marketing group to launch Trace Effects, an educational video game aimed at teenagers to promote learning of the English language and American culture.

In Trace Effects, players control Trace, a college student from the year 2045 who has traveled back in time to our present. Trace must help six young adults “accomplish great things” in order to change his future for the better. The game takes players across the United States to major cities like Washington, D.C. and New York City, immersing themselves in culturally relevant in-game situations and learning English language in that context. The game also explores themes of female empowerment, entrepreneurship, community activism and environment conservation.

According to a statement from The SuperGroup, Trace Effects, with offline and online components, was developed in response to the White House’s call for more games with positive effects on education, society and health.

“Promoting the learning and teaching of ‘American English’ around the world is an integral part of the Department of State’s efforts to foster mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries,” reads the statement.

Trace Effects is free-to-play online or available in disc format for educational professionals. More information is available at the Trace Effects website.

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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.

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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…”

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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.

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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.

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Cheating on standardized English-proficiency tests “rampant”

May 3, 2013—TV hosts, staff of major business conglomerates and elite university students are among scores of Koreans accused of cheating on standardized English-language tests.

The revelations come on the heels of an investigation into alleged leaks of SAT questions that have prompted the U.S. College Board to cancel the test scheduled for this Saturday in Korea.

Kwanak police in southern Seoul on Thursday said 50 people have been booked on charges of cheating on their TOEIC and TEPS last month. Among them are students of the prestigious Seoul National, Yonsei and Korea universities. “These individuals appear to have cheated on their language proficiency exams to get high scores,” a police spokesman said.

One suspect, a law student identified as Park, and an office worker named Lee, offered tips on how to cheat on the tests, and those who had been given the tips were then hired by major broadcasters on the strength of their scores. Park and Lee have been indicted already.

Police summoned another 10 people for seeking help in cheating. “We will hand over the list of names to the company that administers the TOEIC and TEPS as soon as we wrap up our investigation,” the spokesman said.

Police are also considering informing the employers of the suspected cheaters.

Police said Park and Lee offered cheating tips for the last three to four years and sent out e-mails to millions of people, prompting investigators to suspect that many more people are implicated.

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Time to “demise” ridiculous banking double-speak
By Ben Wright, efinancialnews.com

April 23, 2013—Bankers don’t like being bashed but they clearly don’t mind giving the English language a damn good battering.

Last week, Barclays announced that Rich Ricci, the head of the corporate investment bank, would be “retiring” – itself something of a euphemism. And the statement by Antony Jenkins, the bank’s chief executive was positively replete with management waffle: “I want to de-layer the organisation - creating a closer day-to-day relationship and clearer line of sight for myself into the business. We will organise our activity into more clearly delineated client-focused product sets.”

Quite frankly, your guess is as good as ours on that one.

In February, when Jenkins appeared in front of the UK’s Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, Baroness Susan Kramer, exasperated by all the references to balanced scorecards, metrics, and diversity asked the Barclays boss to stop using management jargon.

Jenkins apologised, saying: “That, unfortunately, may be the way I speak.”

But today, HSBC went one better – or worse, depending on your point of view. In announcing some changes to its UK business it used various conjugations of the word “demise” to denote job cuts: “This integration of advisers means the roles of commercial financial advisers will be demised. The proposals also require the role of HSBC’s Premier relationship managers to be diploma qualified. As a consequence the bank will be demising the roles of 942 relationship managers.”

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Firms finding it hard to employ execs who are good in English
By LIZ LEE, TheStar.com.my

PETALING JAYA, May 27, 2013—Corporate leaders are finding it hard to employ executives with proficiency in English and called for steps to be taken to arrest the decline of the English language among the workforce.

As for suggestions to revive English-medium schools as an option, education group HELP International Corp Bhd executive director Adam Chan Eu-Khin agreed it would be a good move because of the shortage of fluent English-speaking employees in the market these days.

“It has been difficult to employ people with good language skills,” he said.

Chan believed that the Govern-ment could gradually increase the number of hours for English lessons as a start to re-implement English-medium teaching.

Westports Malaysia CEO Ruben Emir Gnanalingam said it was not easy to find graduates with a good command of the language although many of them could get by.

“I believe the Government has plans and I hope they can implement it soon. Schools should teach English, Malay and Mandarin with high standards.

“In my opinion, all Malaysian schools should harness the fact that we are a multiracial country. This would make Malaysian students far more competitive in the labour market,” said Ruben.

He added employers were willing to pay higher wages for employees who have a good command of the English language.

“In order to give all children a chance, the quality of English should be improved at all levels including primary, secondary and also at college and university level,” he said.

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English teachers from Britain to teach in Asian countries
By Luwita Hana Randhawa, TheStar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR, May 28, 2013—Business conglomerate Melewar Group has joined forces with a British education recruitment specialist to send out native speaking English teachers from Britain to 14 countries in Asia to teach the language.

The first batch of teachers are expected to arrive in these countries in the third quarter of this year under an agreement signed between English Learning Group Ltd, a member of the Melewar Group, and STC Consortium Ltd here yesterday.

The teachers would be sent to South-East Asia as well as to Bangaladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Melewar Group group executive chairman Datuk Seri Tunku Iskandar Tunku Tan Sri Abdullah said the teachers would be placed in urban and rural schools and universities.

“Whether in Malaysia or elsewhere, our indigenous and national languages are primarily used within our countries.

“However there is a strong need for emphasis to be placed on the use of the English language,” he told reporters after the signing ceremony.

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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.

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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.

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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?”.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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$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.

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“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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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…

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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…”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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…

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Future of English language testing in Arab world discussed

RIYADH, April 27, 2013—Leading experts in English language teaching and assessment gathered in Riyadh with local experts to discuss the best methods for improving the standard of English language training in the Arab world.

The “English Language and Translation Forum” hosted by Prince Sultan University that concluded on Thursday was the first English Language Teaching (ELT) forum held by the university, aimed at increasing the quality of English learning among Arab students.

The conference was supported by the British Council and delegates included experts in the field from within the Kingdom and around the world.

The conference reinforced the importance of equipping Arab learners with excellent English language skills, as the region’s economies become increasingly globalized.

Embedding quality English language training into education systems has been a priority of regional governments who understand the link between graduates with strong English skills and the ability of economies to thrive in a competitive, international market place.

Improving the English language capabilities of school and university leavers also has wider socioeconomic impacts in Arab countries, where graduates with effective English skills are more likely to find meaningful work, and enjoy higher salaries.

As governments in the region pour unprecedented funding into their education systems, many students want to upgrade their educational level and future prospects by learning English.

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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.

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Pope Francis and English as a Second (or Third) Language
By Edward Pentin, National Catholic Register

VATICAN CITY, April 4, 2013—Fluency in English and other languages has long been considered a prerequisite for a pope.

Blessed Pope John Paul II arguably set the standard, learning as many as 12 languages and speaking eight of them fluently. Benedict XVI, his successor, was reputed to be fluent in seven and was particularly proficient in French, the first foreign language he learned.

But Pope Francis’ linguistic abilities are, by his own admission, significantly inferior. Apart from Spanish, his mother tongue, he knows German and Italian well, although he admits the former is rusty.

The Holy Father prefers not to publicly speak any languages other than Italian at general audiences, the summaries of which are now read by various officials in the Secretariat of State.

This reluctance was also seen on Easter Day, when, after delivering his message urbi et orbi (to the city of Rome and to the world), he refrained from wishing a Happy Easter in 65 of the world’s languages — a custom begun by John Paul II.

Reasons behind this approach were revealed in a 2010 biography by Sergio Rubin and Francesca Ambrogetti of then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, called El Jesuita. In it, he explains that he understands the Italian dialect of his father and maternal grandparents who came from the Piedmont region in Italy.

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Teaching in English creates problems for Danish universities

May 2, 2013—Danish universities are increasingly teaching in English in order to remain attractive to international researchers and students, but the development presents challenges for the teachers and students for whom English is a second language.

To address these challenges, a collection of Nordic researchers have been studying the effect of increasing English-language teaching on university education in their countries.

Tomorrow they will meet for the last in a series of conferences entitled “Parallel language use and internationalization at Nordic universities – costly but great!” that will sum up the findings drawn over the past two years.

According to the researchers, one of the major problems is that while most students adapt to being taught in English within a year, the introduction of English often makes students more passive during lessons and less willing to communicate in a language that is not their mother tongue.

The researchers recommend, among other things, that lecturers plan ahead and let students know which language will be used during the course. They also advocate for ensuring that there is enough material in this language to support them.

The researchers also suggest involving students in a discussion about the use of different languages and the problems and advantages it brings. Lecturers, it is argued, should not be afraid to use different languages and address the differences between them.

“Multiple languages do not end up getting in the way of each other but rather, on the contrary, may end up supporting each other,” the researchers stated in a recent report.

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