Philippines lays claim to being Asia’s education center

MANILA, July 7, 2014—The Philippines has been noted for many things – its beautiful women, its lovely scenery, its hospitality – but recently it received a new accolade: as the education center of Asia. More foreign students are coming to the Philippines to study, because of its growing reputation for quality education, quality faculty members, and Filipino teachers proficiency in English as a medium of instruction.

According to the latest government report which was carried in the local press, a total of 47,478 foreign students are enrolled in Philippine schools. So far as nationalities are concerned, South Koreans, who have been the largest foreign group attending college in the Philippines for the last three years, top the list this year with over fifteen hundred new students, with Indians taking second place with 1,069. Iranians come in third with 1,089 and there are a thousand Chinese students. And judging by student visas issued, the number of foreign students will increase this year as 5,719 more visas have been issued by the Bureau of Immigration.

Only schools accredited by the Bureau of Immigration, the Department of Education, and the Commission on Higher Education are authorized to accept foreign students.

Today the Philippines is ranked among the top five countries in the world in terms of total numbers of English-speakers, and its schools are graduating an additional 470,000 more English speakers from college each year. This explosion in Filipinos speaking English has led to another quiet but important development.

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San Francisco certifies Tagalog as 3rd required language in city affairs
INQUIRER.net US Bureau

SAN FRANCISCO, California, April 4, 2014—Filipino (Tagalog), the most commonly spoken Filipino language in the Bay Area and the official language of the Philippines, is now a third required language, in addition to Chinese and Spanish, city officials announced April 2 at the Bayanihan Community Center.

Mayor Edwin M. Lee with Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, Supervisors John Avalos and Jane Kim and local community partners today announced the certification of Tagalog as covered under the City’s Language Access Ordinance.

San Francisco’s Language Access Ordinance was established in 2001 and is one of the most comprehensive local language laws in the nation.

The ordinance requires city departments that interact with the public to provide translated materials, interpreters at public meetings and other services.

Several City Departments already provide services in Tagalog and an array of other languages to meet state and federal requirements, but the City’s ordinance requires much more rigorous study and provision of multilingual services.

More than 112 different languages are spoken in the San Francisco Bay Area and 45 percent of all San Francisco residents do not speak English at home.
“San Francisco is a model for the nation in welcoming immigrants and empowering communities, and we are committed to doing even better on behalf of our immigrant populations,” said Lee.

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Pre-college screening exams proposed for aspiring teachers

MANILA, March 23, 2014—Citing the dismal passing rate of those who take the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET), a group of businessmen advocating education reform has called for a pre-college screening test for would-be teachers.

The Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) proposed that high school graduates be made to take and pass a national entrance exam for teachers before they could take an education course in college.

PBEd president Chito Salazar doubted the LET, one of the requisites before one can teach preschool, elementary or high school, still served its purpose.

He said that in the first place, the educational system had to make sure it had the right people to train to become teachers.

A pre-college screening test for teachers would also help restore the prestige of the teaching profession, Salazar said.

“Why don’t they pass the LET? Maybe because of poor training, poor performance. Or maybe the exam is not a good measure of what makes a good teacher,” he said.

Analyzing LET results from 2009 to 2013, the PBEd found that only about half or 146,091 of the 268,361 first-time LET takers in the last five years passed the exam.

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Philippines’ education crisis far from over, says UNESCO

MANILA, January 23, 2014—The United Nations’ education arm observed how several educational targets for the Philippines are far from being reached even under President Benigno Aquino III.

In financing the sector, a UNESCO representative said in an e-mail exchange with Philstar.com that the Philippine government has not prioritized education as much as it ought to.

While education spending increased from 1999 to 2011 from 13.9 percent to 15 percent, it has not yet reached the target suggested 20 percent of national budget.

Moreover, education is not a significant contributor to the country’s gross national product.

“The share of national income invested in education, which equalled the subregional average in 1999, had fallen behind by 2009 at 2.7 percent of GNP, compared with an average of 3.2 percent for East Asia,” UNESCO said.

The Philippines also has 1.46 million huge out-of-school population and the number has hardly been improved between 2000 and 2011.

“The Philippines is still in the top ten countries with the highest out of school population ... By contrast, Indonesia managed to reduce its out-of-school population by 84 percent between 2000 and 2011,” UNESCO said.

The international organization furthermore cited teacher absenteeism as a recurring problem in the country’s schools.

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Philippines expects 124,000 new full-time BPO jobs in year 2014

MANILA, January 1, 2014—The country’s major business process outsourcing (BPO) firms are expected to spearhead the production of roughly 124,000 new full-time jobs in 2014, Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, a key industry backer, said in a statement released to media.

“Based on sectoral projections, we are confident that BPO firms will be able to add an average of 124,000 well-paying jobs annually from 2014 to 2016, or a total of 372,000 new posts over the next three years,” Romulo said.

“This will help address unemployment, especially among college-educated Filipinos,” said Romulo, chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education.

A previous survey by Pulse Asia Research Inc. showed that “creating more jobs” is one of the top five urgent national concerns, along with fighting official corruption, controlling inflation, improving the pay of workers, and reducing poverty.

“We are counting on the bigger BPO players to continue to drive the formation of new jobs,” Romulo said.

“As they draw in more business, the super BPO firms can quickly scale up their activities here and hire extra staff, while reducing cost per unit of output owing to greater operational efficiency,” he added.

Romulo singled out BPO giants Accenture and Convergys, both of which now have more than 35,000 employees each in the Philippines.

Based on their 2012 revenues, released here for the first time, Romulo named the country’s 36 mega BPO firms, to include the in-house outsourcing units here of global corporations, as follows: Accenture Inc. (P28.104 billion in revenues); Convergys Philippines Services Corp. (P17.281 billion); JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A–Philippine Global Service Center (P10.805 billion); 24/7 Customer Philippines Inc. (P7.711 billion);

Telephilippines Inc. (P7.241 billion); TeleTech Offshore Investments B.V. (P6.978 billion); Sutherland Global Services Philippines Inc. (P6.805 billion); Stream International Global Services Philippines Inc. (P6.738 billion); Sitel Philippines Corp. (P6.364 billion); Deutsche Knowledge Services Pte. Ltd. (P5.754 billion);

Sykes Asia Inc. (P5.617 billion); IBM Daksh Business Process Services Philippines Inc. (P5.516 billion); Aegis PeopleSupport Inc. (P5.445 billion); TeleTech Customer Care Management Philippines Inc. (P5.402 billion); IBM Business Services Inc. (P5.211 billion); Telus International Philippines Inc. (P4.962 billion);

Shell Shared Services (Asia) B.V. (P4.821 billion); HSBC Electronic Data Processing (Philippines) Inc. (P4.700 billion); ePLDT Inc. (P4.147 billion); SPi CRM Inc. (P3.501 billion); ACS of the Philippines Inc. (P3.492 billion); VXI Global Holdings B.V. (P3.266 billion); Emerson Electric (Asia) Ltd. (P3.230 billion); StarTek International Ltd. (P3.094 billion);

IBM Solutions Delivery Inc. (P3.019 billion); Sykes Marketing Services Inc. (P2.760 billion); SPi Technologies Inc. (P2.626 billion); Genpact Services LLC (P2.552 billion); Macquarie Offshore Services Pty. Ltd. (P2.522 billion); Thomson Reuters Corp. Pte. Ltd. (P2.265 billion); AIG Shared Services Corp. Philippines (P2.357 billion);

Hinduja Global Solutions Ltd. (P2.194 billion); Lexmark Research and Development Corp. (P1.956 billion); ANZ Global Services and Operations (Manila) Inc. (P1.869 billion); Maersk Global Service Centers (Philippines) Ltd. (P1.859 billion); and Manulife Data Services Inc. (P1.745 billion).

The 36 firms alone raked in some P192 billion in combined revenues in 2012, according to Romulo.

Romulo is author of the Data Privacy Act, which has helped to entice global corporations to either establish new in-house outsourcing units here in Manila, or to relegate their non-core, business support activities to highly specialized independent BPO firms operating here.

The law mandates all entities, including BPO firms, to protect the confidentiality of personal information collected from clients and stored in information-technology (IT) systems, in accordance with rigorous international privacy standards.

The Philippines’ highly labor-intensive, BPO and IT-enabled services industry includes contact center services; back offices; medical, legal and other data transcription; animation; software development; engineering design; and digital content.

The IT and Business Processing Association of the Philippines sees the industry yielding up to $27 billion in annual revenues and directly employing some 1.3 million Filipinos by 2016.

Filipino students bag 62 medals in international math, science contest

MANILA, December 18, 2013—Filipino students put their math and science skills on display last week, earning a total of 62 medals in the 10th International Mathematics and Science Olympiad (IMSO) for Primary School Students hosted on November 25-28, 2013 in Alfonso, Cavite.

The 10th IMSO, held in the Philippines for the second time, drew more than 250 participants from Brunei Darussalam, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines. It was co-organized by the City of Taguig and supported by the Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Science and Technology- Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI).

The Filipino math and science savvy kids aced the contest with 3 gold, 10 silver and 20 bronze medals in mathematics division and 8 silver and 21 bronze in Science division.
These are the following winners from the Philippines:

Mathematics:
Marquez, John Henry, UP Integrated School–Gold
Ong, Stefan Marcus Ang, St. Jude Catholic School–Gold
Reyes, Steven, St. Jude Catholic School–Gold
Chua, Eion Nikolai, MGC New Life Christian Academy–Silver
Co, Maxinne Louise Dominique, Ateneo de Iloilo-SMCS–Silver
Julio, Vanessa Ryanne, St. Jude Catholic School–Silver
King, William Joshua G., Bethany Christian School–Silver
Lim, Fedrick Lance R., Zamboanga Chong Hua High School–Silver
Lizarondo, Marksen Viktor D., Dasmarinas II Central School–Silver
Montañez, Marjana Ysabelle, Hen. Pio del Pilar Elem. School Main–Silver
Policarpio, Patrick Nino, Greenpark Montessori Learning Center–Silver
Sy, Audrey, St. Jude Catholic School–Silver

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Pinoy students bag gold in International Math and Science Olympiad

MANILA, December 1, 2013—Three elementary students from the Philippines emerged with gold medals from the 10th International Mathematics and Science Olympiad (IMSO) for Primary School Students last November 25 to 29 at the SM Aura Premier in Taguig.

St. Jude managed to earn seven medals from the competition, while the Taguig City Team, comprised of students from different parts of the city, bagged nine medals apiece. St. Stephen's High School and Colegio San Agustin-Biñan both took home four medals, while San Beda College Alabang took three.

Thailand, Singapore, and Sri Lanka took home the most gold from the tourney, while Singapore's Xinyi Chen and Kar Weng Sean Leong respectively became the overall top scorers for the Math and Science division.

Dr. Simon Chua and the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines organized the 10th IMSO with Mayor Lani Cayetano and the city of Taguig, in cooperation with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-SEI).

Indonesia first opened the competition in 2003 to member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, until it was opened to other countries in 2004. The Philippines was chosen as the host country in 2011, after organizers decided to hold it outside Indonesia, because of the “known hospitality and friendliness” of its people.

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Migrants allegedly buying language test passes for £500

LONDON, May 17, 2014 (Sky News)—The Home Office has launched an investigation into claims migrants who speak no English are able to buy certificates showing they have passed a supposedly “secure” language test.

Secret filming at an exam centre showed the certificates—which are required by anyone wanting to remain in the UK permanently or to apply for British citizenship—were being sold for £500.

Immigration and Security Minister James Brokenshire said in a statement: “The Home Office takes any allegation of fraud extremely seriously and we have already begun a full investigation.
“We will take the strongest possible action against anyone who is found to have abused the rules—including the possibility of criminal prosecutions for fraud.

“This ESOL certificate is just one element of a wide range of evidence required by individuals applying for settlement and citizenship.

“Nobody can gain a UK visa on the strength of this qualification alone.”

Following information from a whistleblower, the Daily Mail carried out the undercover investigation into the exam centre at Upton Park, east London, which is run by Learn Pass Succeed (LPS).

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Bad Grammar award reveals shortlist of English language offenders

April 28, 2014—The Idler Academy, an offshoot of the magazine which offers courses in everything from philosophy to ukulele playing, has announced the shortlist for its 2014 Bad Grammar award, set up to highlight “the incorrect use of English by people and institutions who should know better”.

The shortlist is headed by Tesco, for using “less” not “fewer” in reference to numbers on loo-roll packaging – “Same Luxury. Less Lorries” – and for describing its orange juice as “most tastiest.”

Next comes the NHS, for confusing subject and object in a letter – “Your appointment has now been organised to attend Queen Mary’s Hospital … “ – and featuring a rogue apostrophe: “The RDC Suite’s are clearly signposted”. Unfortunately named cafe chain Apostrophe also fell victim to the curse of the apostrophe in a marketing slogan, “Great taste on it’s way”.

Historian and MP Tristram Hunt is indicted for “tautology and other errors”. He was accused by Michael Gove of bad grammar in the House of Commons earlier this year, for the tautology “ongoing continuing professional development”.

The Army Careers Office is included for using “you’re” for “your” on a sign in a window: “For any inquires [sic] please contact you’re nearest Army Careers Office.”

Finally, Great British primary schools appear for “many and various” errors, including using “are” for “our” in the following sign in a playground: “We all wash are hands after playing in the sandpits.”

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A-level changes criticized by scientific community
By John Morgan, TimesHigherEducation.co.uk

April 9, 2014—Scientists have reacted angrily to changes in A-level content announced by Michael Gove.

The education secretary published today “revised content” for A levels in English literature, English language, English literature and language, biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, history, economics, business, computer science, art and design and sociology, to be taught from September 2015.

Mr. Gove said he had accepted the recommendations from a review led by Mark E. Smith, the Lancaster University vice-chancellor. In a written ministerial statement, Mr. Gove says the review drew “advice from subject experts from higher education establishments and subject associations”.

He adds: “By placing responsibility for the content of A levels in the hands of university academics, we hope that these new exams will be more rigorous and will provide students with the skills and knowledge needed for progression to undergraduate study.”

Mr. Gove also says: “In the sciences, there will also be a new requirement that students must carry out a minimum of 12 practical activities, ensuring that they develop vital scientific techniques and become comfortable using key apparatus. This will make sure that all A level scientists develop the experimental and practical skills essential for further study.”

But the Campaign for Science and Engineering said that Ofqual, the exams regulator, had opted to “remove the examination of practicals from A-level grades in science”, calling this “a backwards step for science skills in the UK”.

It added: “Although competence in 12 practical activities will be a minimum requirement to gain a ‘pass’ for the practical element, there is no indication that a student will need to pass the practical element to be awarded their A level.”

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A-level changes criticized by scientific community
By John Morgan, TimesHigherEducation.co.uk

April 9, 2014—Scientists have reacted angrily to changes in A-level content announced by Michael Gove.

The education secretary published today “revised content” for A levels in English literature, English language, English literature and language, biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, history, economics, business, computer science, art and design and sociology, to be taught from September 2015.

Mr. Gove said he had accepted the recommendations from a review led by Mark E. Smith, the Lancaster University vice-chancellor. In a written ministerial statement, Mr Gove says the review drew “advice from subject experts from higher education establishments and subject associations”.

He adds: “By placing responsibility for the content of A levels in the hands of university academics, we hope that these new exams will be more rigorous and will provide students with the skills and knowledge needed for progression to undergraduate study.”

Mr. Gove also says: “In the sciences, there will also be a new requirement that students must carry out a minimum of 12 practical activities, ensuring that they develop vital scientific techniques and become comfortable using key apparatus. This will make sure that all A level scientists develop the experimental and practical skills essential for further study.”

But the Campaign for Science and Engineering said that Ofqual, the exams regulator, had opted to “remove the examination of practicals from A-level grades in science”, calling this “a backwards step for science skills in the UK”.

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UK school will teach English as a foreign language

March 26, 2014—A school in the UK is to teach English as a foreign language to all its students as it has children from more than 50 nations in its classrooms.

At the City of Leeds school native English speakers are a minority group as there are students from around 55 nations, with one of the largest groups being Czech Roma children.

Head-teacher Georgiana Sale said: “We’re doing these as extra for all the children but obviously the needs of the range of children are going to be different.

“I do have native English speakers here but the English they speak isn’t formal enough for the requirements of the new GCSE examinations that are coming in ... those are going to be a lot stricter on grammar, punctuation, spelling across the great range of subjects—it’s not just for English.

“The majority I have here do have English as an additional language ... some of them are very newly arrived in the country and have no English at all. So obviously we will be teaching English language just as you might French or German in other schools.”

Responding to criticism Ms Sale said: “If I've got children who don't speak English or their English is very poor, I need to make their English better, don’t I?

“How can that not help them get employment or places at the college?”

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British Home Office suspends English language tests
By David Matthews, TimesHigherEducation.co.uk

LONDON, February 10, 2014—The Home Office has suspended an organisation’s English language tests for immigration purposes after cheating was allegedly uncovered on some exams.

Theresa May, the home secretary, told the education sector to “put its own house in order” following revelations about the immigration scam.

The BBC’s Panorama programme found that students were able to get others to take the English Testing Service (ETS) exams for them in order to get round English language requirements for student visas.

It found that an undercover reporter was able to pay £500 to an immigration consultancy for a “guaranteed pass” on the English tests.

When the reporter arrived at a college in East London, they found that all 14 candidates had their spoken and written tests taken for them by a “fake sitter.”

In a later multiple choice exam, the invigilator read out the correct answers to the students present.

Following the revelations, the Home Office has suspended ETS from administering English language tests for immigration purposes.

ETS, which provides the exams but does not invigilate them, told the BBC that it “does everything it can to detect and prevent rare instances of dishonest test administrators or test takers”.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme about the revelations, Theresa May, the home secretary, said that the education sector “doesn’t just need structural change, it needs cultural change”.

“Frankly, I’m afraid over time the education sector has consistently objected to the changes that we have been making,” she said. “They actually need to take some responsibility.”

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Colleges join scheme to help those who don’t speak English

BRADFORD, January 30, 2014—Colleges in the district are taking part in a new scheme that could help integrate Bradford’s non-English speakers into the wider community.

Shipley College, Bradford College, Craven College and Forster College are among a consortium of schools, training providers and community centres that have been part of a winning bid by Manchester City Council in a Government-launched competition to come up with “innovative” new methods of teaching English.

Called Talk English, the project will see non-English speakers learn the language not in classrooms, but through their day-to-day lives.

Shopkeepers, businesses and supermarket staff will be asked to be “sympathetic listeners” to help people practice English in real-life situations, while volunteers will meet with those involved on a weekly basis to encourage them to open up to speaking the language.

The project, based in Manchester, Yorkshire and Lancashire, was one of six that have been awarded a share of £6 million by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to encourage all communities to adopt English as a first language.

It will train volunteers, known as Talk English Friends, from within the community to act as mentors. The volunteers will help participants to develop language skills and confidence, encouraging them to access English classes, local amenities and project-supported social events.

And businesses will get involved by having members of staff clearly identifiable as sympathetic listeners to encourage people to speak English when out shopping.

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Warning on English language test for 457 workers
By Stephen Mcmahon, Herald Sun

May 22, 2014—The nation’s most militant union warns plans to dilute the language test for 457 visa workers, currently being considered by the Abbott government, could put lives on construction sites at risk.

Under weaker language test in 2007-08 period worker deaths skyrocketed with 10 deaths of employees on the visa from non-English speaking backgrounds.

Only two people on 457 visas have died after the requirements were strengthened in September 2009 in the period to December 2011.

The Department of Immigration was on Thursday unable to provide any updated information.

But business groups claim the tougher test requirements mean companies can't find suitable staff and may eventually led to the offshoring of jobs.

In a submission to the independent review of the 457 visa program, Australian Industry Group Innes Willox said the pool of people how can apply for the visa is shrinking as a result of the tougher test.

It brands Labor’s crackdown on 457 visa rorts as rushed and without evidence. The government announced a review of the scheme in February amid claims of rorts and exploitation and the English language test is seen as a key battleground between employers and the unions.

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Tokyo teachers to study abroad to prepare for 2020 Summer Olympics

TOKYO, November 16, 2013 (Jiji)—The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will send some 200 Japanese and other non-native English teachers to study at foreign universities for three months in fiscal 2014, Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose announced.

The capital will lead state reforms in English-language education in the run-up to the 2020 Summer Olympics, Inose told a news conference Friday.

The dispatch will cover junior high and high school teachers who have been working for at least three years. The city hopes they will learn effective teaching methods and everyday English while abroad.

Tokyo will also hike the number of full-time assistant language teachers at high schools to 100 in 2014 from just five at present. That number will rise to 200 in the following year, so that all of these schools are staffed with native English-speaking ALTs

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Education minister urges to improve English education

July 13, 2013—The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is considering beginning English education earlier in primary school, as well as making English an official primary school subject.

In an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun, education minister Hakubun Shimomura said he plans to introduce English education in the third or fourth year of primary school, and to better utilize assistant language teachers (ALTs) and human resources with English language skills in local communities.

The following is an excerpt of the interview.

The Yomiuri Shimbun: Why is it necessary to make English an official subject in primary schools?

Shimomura: As the government’s Education Rebuilding Implementation Council has proposed, fostering human resources who can play an active role globally is an urgent task. I believe current English education should be fundamentally reformed and firmly introduced at the primary school level.

Q: Do you feel Japanese people's English skills are insufficient during such occasions as international conferences?

A: I often feel that way. I think many foreigners also wonder why Japanese are unable to speak English well despite studying English for as long as 10 years through university. Including middle and high school level English education, I want to implement reforms so [students] can acquire practical skills.

Q: From which grade do you think English should become an official subject?

A: In China and South Korea, English education starts in the third year of primary school. So I think that the third or fourth year is a rough indicator of when classes should start. In Japan, English education began from the fifth year of primary school in the 2011 school year, but the main purpose of those classes is to help students get accustomed to English through singing and games once a week…

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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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A year with a bad teacher costs each student $50,000 in lifetime earnings
By Karen Weise, Bloomberg Businessweek
     
LOS ANGELES, California, June 12, 2014—In a landmark ruling, a Los Angeles superior court judge on Tuesday struck down key elements of California’s teacher tenure statutes after finding that the near inability to fire ineffective teachers disproportionately hurts poor and minority students. The ruling rests in large part on what Judge Rolf Treu called “compelling” academic research that “shocks the conscience.” Highly ineffective teachers, the evidence suggests, can cause lasting harm that reaches far into a student’s future. “Based on a massive study, Dr. [Raj] Chetty testified that a single year in a classroom with a grossly ineffective teacher costs students $1.4 million in lifetime earnings per classroom,” Judge Treu wrote in his 16-page decision (pdf).

That 2012 study, by Harvard’s Raj Chetty and John Friedman and Columbia’s Jonah Rockoff, analyzed data from 2.5 million kids over two decades, matching test scores with the tax data for the same students and their parents. They tried to isolate how much any individual teacher adds or detracts by comparing how the students scored on end-of-year tests to how similar students did with other teachers, controlling for a host of such things as test scores in the prior year, gender, suspensions, English language knowledge, and class size.

They then checked the predictions made by those models to see if the models reflected some other kind of bias and found that them to be highly reliable. For example, the researchers looked at what happened when teachers left or joined a school and found that, when the model predicted an educator to be great, she in fact immediately improved test scores in her class compared with how students previously performed in that grade.

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Alaska OKs bill making native languages official
By Bill Chappell, NPR.org

April 22, 2014—If you’re so inclined, and able, you could soon speak Tlingit, Inupiaq, or Siberian Yupik in Alaska with the knowledge that those and 18 other languages, including English, are officially recognized by the state. Alaska’s Legislature approved a bill giving them that status Monday.

Its backers say the largely symbolic bill is a statement about equality. The legislation, House Bill 216, clarifies that it “does not require or place a duty or responsibility on the state or a municipal government to print a document or record or conduct a meeting, assembly, or other government activity in any language other than English.”

But the bill does put 20 Alaska Native languages on a par with English, which as NPR member station KTOO reports was made the official language of the state by a 1998 voter initiative.

“That’s all we want is equal value,” Lance Twitchell, a professor of Native languages at the University of Alaska Southeast tells KTOO. “And there’s nothing wrong with standing up and saying that. It takes a lot of courage to do that. And it takes a lot of something else to try and go against that.”

The bill was endorsed in Alaska’s House of Representatives last week, in a 38-0 vote. To ensure its passage before the current legislative session, supporters of the bill organized a 15-hour sit-in at the Capitol that started around noon Sunday. In the early hours of Monday, the Alaska Senate approved it 18-2.

The language bill may be symbolic, but to some of the folks who spoke to KTOO, it means a lot.

Here’s the full list of languages the bill officially recognizes:

“An Act adding the Inupiaq, Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup’ik, Alutiiq, Unanga, Dena’ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich’in, Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian languages as official languages of the state.”

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TOEFL no longer accepted by UK visa authorities

NEW DELHI, April 22, 2014—Putting many UK Visa aspirants in a tumble, English language ability tests TOEFL seems to have been discarded by the UK visa issuing authorities in wake of a controversy, as per a website report.

As per the report, ETS, the agency responsible for conducting the English language ability tests has ended its partnership.

As per the UK Council for International Student Affairs official website the TOEIC and TOEFL, conducted by ETS, has been suspended by the Home Office due to potential concerns regarding fraud. The website also sites that the Home Office has suspended processing student immigration applications in the UK that include Educational Testing Service qualifications, while it investigates.

The students aspiring to get a UK Visa will now have to take a test with one of the five other providers of secure English language tests that are approved by the Home Office.

The UK Visa aspirants can have a look at the approved tests on the UK government website.

For further details on the UK visa application process the students are advised to have a look at the UK government official website, or at this alternate link.

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India modifies English teaching to include speaking and listening assessment

NEW DELHI, February 12, 2014—Keeping up with changing times, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has modified English language teaching and grading to include a specific section of “Assessment in Speaking and Listening Skills.” Available at both Class 9 and Class 10 level, the ASL will be part of the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation system of CBSE.

Final scores for ASL will be included as part of the Summative Assessment - 2 (SA2). The value of ASL in Class 9 will be worth 20 marks, and for Class 10 it will be 10 marks. However, Class 9 will have ASL conducted once, while Class 10 students will attempt ASL twice; in the first term and second term and the best scores will be used.

Listening Assessment:
The Listening Assessment section focuses on testing the student's comprehension of the spoken English language. Under the assessment procedure, a recording will be played twice; following which students will be required to complete an assessment worksheet consisting of 4 sections.

Each section consists of objective type questions and is compulsory. Students may answer questions on the worksheet while listening to the recording. No question may be asked with reference to the recording. Students will be marked based on their performance on the worksheet.

Speaking Assessment:
The Speaking Assessment section is based on testing the students' correct use of English language. Students may receive the topic early and can prepare the topic accordingly, so as to be able to speak for 4-5 minutes. During the assessment, the student can use written notes, as memorizing the topic is not required. Recording of the speaking assessment will be done and the recordings will be sent to CBSE…

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Saudi to sack expat English language tutors
 
June 8, 2013—Saudi Arabia has decided to sack all expatriate English language teachers from its public schools within ongoing plans to nationalize teaching jobs.

Newspapers said the Gulf Kingdom would not renew the job contracts for all expatriate English language teachers in its more than 10,000 government schools from the next academic year and that they would be replaced by Saudis.

“The government will not extend the job contracts for all foreign English language teachers in the next scholastic year as part of Saudization of teaching jobs in the country,” Okaz Arabic language daily said, quoting education officials.

“Some of the expatriate mathematics teachers would also be replaced, particularly those whose performance has been found to be low.”

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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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English or Malay… just read lah
By Malini Dias and Ron J. Backus, TheStar.com.my

March 23, 2014—Two local publishing companies are shaking things up with interesting forays into translation. Shakespeare and Stephen King in Malay, anyone?

Hafiz Hamzah, founder and editor of Pustaka Obscura, put out Obscura late last year featuring translated snippets of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, T.S Eliot’s The Wasteland, and Homer’s Iliad, among others.

More recently, Facebook was abuzz with news that publisher Amir Muhammad was releasing Malay versions of King’s 2013 book Joyland and Neil Gaiman’s bestseller, also from last year, The Ocean At The End Of The Lane.

Amir joked on his Facebook page that he is now “not just a Stephen King FAN but a Stephen King PUBLISHER”. His post also mentioned that of King’s more than 50 books, this is the first one to be translated into Malay.

The Malay version of Stephen King’s Joyland – the title is a proper noun, so it’s not translated.
This is, of course, not the first time popular English language books have been translated into Malay: J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga were translated into Malay by the Pelangi Publishing Group. But apart from those “event” projects, English language bestsellers translated into Malay seem to be few and far between.

Classics and literary works are translated more often, with books such as R.K. Narayan’s The Man-Eater Of Malgudi (1961) and Anita Desai’s A Village By The Sea (1982) being released in Malay by the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka as Jelatang Malgudi and Sebuah Kampung Di Pinggir Laut, respectively.

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Malaysian government to strengthen use of the English language

PAGOH, February 8, 2014—The government will strengthen the use and enhance the proficiency of English language among students as stipulated under the National Education Blueprint.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said most parents wanted their children to master the international language despite its status as the number two language in the country.
He said a proficiency in the language is important for the people to compete at the global platform.

“We will not marginalise the use of the language. On the contrary, we are sending more teachers to upgrade their skills in the teaching of the language.

“Eventually, we want the mastery of the language among our students on par with other foreign students,” said Muhyiddin.

Muhyddin, who is also the Education Minister, was speaking during a gathering with teachers from his Pagoh parliamentary constituecy at Kompleks Pekembar here today.

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Cabbies in Singapore sign up for English language programme

November 5, 2013—With his S$1,400 (RM3,579) salary as a delivery driver barely sufficient to cover his mortgage, household expenses and school fees for his two teenage children, Teng Khoon Hai decided to become a cabbie six months ago.

The problem was that he did not have the necessary qualifications in English, which meant having to pass a computerized test before he could qualify for a taxi vocational license, issued by the Singapore Taxi Academy (STA).

Teng failed. But the STA sent him to take an English course conducted by private education institution Kaplan. “The lessons will be of help when I start driving,” said the 48-year-old, who has since passed the test and is now waiting to take a competency test for his taxi licence.

He is one of nearly 300 aspiring cabbies who have taken Kaplan’s English programme since 2010.

Another 200 cabbies from Comfort have also taken the course, which is conducted across 15 three-hour sessions, with an average class size of 15 to 20.

Kaplan trainer Ronald Tan, 55, said most students hardly use English in their daily lives, so initial lessons are devoted to giving them a foundation in English.

Subsequent sessions focus on improving their speaking and listening skills. Role-playing is conducted on scenarios taxi drivers are likely to encounter, such as a passenger asking about additional charges.

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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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Beijing's intellectual street cleaner sweeping the internet

BEIJING, October 29, 2013—A Beijing street cleaner has been sweeping the internet with a viral video in which he demonstrates his impressive English language skills, the Guangzhou-based Yangcheng Evening News reports.

The 56-year-old cleaner, surnamed Li, came to the attention of the media after being spotted giving directions to a foreign visitor in fluent English.

“Even a street cleaner can speak fluent English. I am not qualified to sweep the street in Beijing,” said one internet user in response.

People around the world should interact with each other and exchange their culture, says Li, who has spent a long time discussing English literature with a British friend and is well acquainted with the works of Shakespeare.

Li is not from Beijing, but from east China's Shandong province. He graduated from a foreign language school and later worked as an English teacher for 13 years. He then switched to an office job for the local government. After he retired, he wanted to move to somewhere new. Beijing was his preferred location, but as he had a limited budget he took to street cleaning to pay his way.

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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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Ontario seeing success for English language learners

Possible Parti Quebecois majority has Quebec anglos on edge

MONTREAL, February 28, 2014—As the Parti Quebecois stands poised to win a majority government, English-speaking Quebecers are once again nervous.

News about bureaucrats ordered to halt English correspondence with merchants, and language cops policing Facebook, has also stoked anglo angst in La Belle Province.

Polls indicate the PQ could win its first majority government in 16 years, a victory that would allow separatists to revive their proposed beefed-up language law.

Language Minister Diane De Courcy says laws do a better job than goodwill in promoting French in Quebec.

“We fell asleep on the issue,” the minister told a recent conference about French in the workplace.

“Businesses do a lot, but is it enough? It takes legislative and regulatory frameworks combined with goodwill.”

The PQ's proposed secularism charter, with its ban on religious symbols in the public service, has also alienated anglos as well as ethnic Quebecers.

Premier Pauline Marois is also pledging to start a new round of consultations on sovereignty, prompting many English speakers to ponder moving plans.

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Ontario seeing success for English language learners

ONTARIO, December 1, 2013— At first glance, Ontario High School teacher Jerry Maldonado’s classroom looks pretty ordinary.

Posters of prefixes and suffixes, Greek and Latin root words adorn the walls. A projector displays grammar exercises on the white board. Students copy vocabulary words into their notebooks — contemplate, designate, implement, procrastinate.

But when Maldonado asks her students to define their words and use them in sentences, some of the students struggle and Maldonado prompts them in Spanish, making it apparent that this isn’t a typical English class.

“(English as a second language) has existed for as long as we’ve had English language learners,” said Anabel Ortiz-Chavolla, Director of Federal Programs and School Improvement for Ontario School District. But the program has undergone changes, many of them recent. Some of those changes have affected the number of English as a second language students in District 8C, and thus the amount of certain kinds of funding the district receives.

“In Ontario, it has evolved drastically in the last five to seven years,” Ortiz-Chavolla said. “We have made a lot of adjustments to adhere to the needs of students.”

English as a second language courses were added to American curriculum as part of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Today, what is officially known as the English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement Act is under Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act, proposed and signed into law during President George W. Bush’s administration in 2001.

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Notable Canadian women campaign for gender-neutral “O Canada” lyrics

TORONTO, October 1, 2013—A group of notable Canadian women is launching a campaign for gender-neutral language in the English lyrics of O Canada.

The group said the change would restore Canada’s English national anthem to its original gender-neutral intentions.

The group — which includes author Margaret Atwood and former prime minister Kim Campbell — has set up a website to promote the idea.

It is calling on Canadians to join the campaign and encourage Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government to change the line “in all thy sons command” to “in all of us command.”

The campaign won’t be able to count on the official Opposition for support, however.

NDP leader Tom Mulcair said Tuesday in Ottawa that the anthem is “wonderful” and “extraordinary” as it is and shouldn't be altered when it comes to gender.

“I think that when you start tinkering with an institution like a national anthem, that you're looking for problems,” he said when asked about the proposal.

“We seem to have agreed on the English and French versions as they are and I think that's probably a good thing.”

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Quebec language laws: Online tool targets offenders

MONTREAL, September 25, 2013—A French-language advocacy group has launched an online application that will allow the public to name, shame and pressure Quebec companies into compliance with provincial laws if they deign to do business in English.

The Montreal chapter of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste has taken one giant step into the digital age with its “Moi, j’achete en francais” application. But the inspiration for the initiative is rooted in the vigilante justice of the Wild West.

The tool asks consumers to give a 1-to-10 rating and make comments on businesses based on whether they provide service in French, whether it’s the common language among employees and whether store signs adhere to Bill 101, Quebec’s sacred language law.
“A team of volunteers will follow up on the most pertinent files and will take the actions necessary to find a solution with the businesses that have the worst scores,” the organization explains.

Repercussions for the worst offenders can include calls to the business, reminders about the legal requirements in Quebec, reminders and follow-ups, as well as “other actions if necessary.”

The idea behind the initiative is that consumers use their buying power to ensure the predominance of the French language in a city where there is an existential dread of a rising tide and eventual takeover by anglophones and immigrants who opt to learn English instead of French.

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Language watchdogs say courts delay justice for English, French minorities

OTTAWA, August 16, 2013—The federal language watchdog and his counterparts from Ontario and New Brunswick say that English and French-speaking minority communities in Canada are facing delays and additional costs in superior courts for choosing to be heard in the language of their choice.

In a new study released on Friday by Official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser in partnership with language watchdogs from Ontario, Francois Boileau, and from New Brunswick, Katherine d’Entremont, the three commissioners asked the federal justice minister to implement 10 different measures to fix the problem by September 2014 through co-ordinated action with the provinces and territories.

“In a country that proudly claims linguistic duality as a fundamental value and a crucial part of its identity, no one should suffer delays, additional costs or any other hardships for having chosen to be heard in English or in French,” said the study, released at a meeting of the Canadian Bar Association in Saskatchewan. “There is an urgent need to put mechanisms in place in order to ensure that all of the provinces’ and territories’ superior courts and appeal courts have an appropriate number of bilingual judges so that English- and French-speaking Canadians have full access to justice in both official languages.”

Fraser’s study said the problems included a shortage of judges who could hear cases in both languages, as well as the absence of supporting legal aid and a “perception of uneven understanding of language rights among judges.”

The study, based on a survey of lawyers, judges and other Canadians across the country, found that access to bilingual services was generally better in Quebec and New Brunswick than in the rest of Canada.

“We say that a member of the francophone minority has the choice between being served in English today or in French tomorrow,” said one lawyer, quoted in the study.

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Stephen Harper makes questions more difficult in both languages

WHITEHORSE, August 20, 2013—It was a bizarre spectacle. One of many when it comes to questioning the prime minister.

A PMO adviser told reporters Monday in advance that Stephen Harper would not provide answers in both official languages, as he has for the past seven years (and he’s uncannily good at repeating the exact same message in both official languages).

It’s a standard request. It means reporters for French- and English-language outlets don’t have to repeat questions and each get replies. And it allows more subjects to be covered since the PM limits the number of questions he'll take and almost always refuses to answer follow-ups.

Now, the prime minister would only reply in the language in which a question is asked. If reporters wanted an answer in both languages, they had to ask in both.

Not every reporter is bilingual. But in Canada, 7.7 million report French as their first official language spoken. Even in Whitehorse, about 1,450 people report they speak French at home.

In the end, for the lone French-language reporter on the northern trip — allotted just one question of the six Harper would take on Monday — it meant he ended up listing all the previous questions he'd like the prime minister to repeat in French for Radio-Canada's television and radio programming.

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English-only services results in 349 complaints
 
OTTAWA, July 5, 2013— Anglophone lifeguards at a City of Ottawa wading pool in Sandy Hill. English-only service at the courthouse. Driver’s ed courses available in only one tongue.

These are examples of the 349 complaints filed last year to Ontario’s French Languages Services Commissioner.

Of those, more than 220 were deemed admissible for further investigation, including dozens that originate in or pertain to French-languages services in the Eastern region.

The Elgin Street courthouse, the City of Ottawa and the LCBO are among the main offenders, according to documents obtained by the Citizen through a Freedom of Information request.

“Making a complaint is usually the tip of the iceberg,” said commissioner François Boileau.

“You have to be pretty unhappy to go back to your home or office and draft a couple notes to the French Language Services Commissioner — if you know about the existence of the French Language Services Commissioner.”

Ottawa is a designated area for services provided by the Ontario government, which means all ministries must offer services in French to the public.

Meanwhile, the amalgamated City of Ottawa has had a bilingualism policy on the books since 2001; it says citizens have the right to communicate in English or French and receive “available services” in either English and French.

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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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Lauren Zentz: In support of local languages
By Setiono Sugiharto, Contributor, The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA, July 11, 2013—Amid the fervent promotion of the English language in the Indonesian context, Lauren Zentz revives memories of preserving the wealth of Indonesia’s local languages spoken throughout the country.

She seems to convey the message that it is a must to learn English in this globalized world, but learning this language shouldn’t necessarily be at the cost of one’s native languages.

Citing the long-established national language policy, Zentz reminds Indonesians to love their local languages, use their national language (Indonesian), and study foreign languages, including English.

An anthropologist and professor of linguistics from the University of Houston in the US, Zent first came to Indonesia in 2008 and learnt Indonesian through the Consortium for the Teaching of Indonesian and Malay (COTIM), which was later renamed the Consortium for the Teaching of Indonesian (COTI).

In the same year, piqued by the uniqueness of Indonesian cultures and indigenous languages, she accepted an offer from UNESCO to help develop functional literacy in Kampung Cibago, West Java.

“Without thinking further, I accepted the program, which was organized by the SIL [Summer Institute of Linguistics] to assist children in developing functional literacy both in Sundanese and in Indonesian,” Zentz said in an interview.

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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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With suspension of TOEFL, British Council recommends IELTS for candidates

NIGERIA, November 23, 2013—Following the recent suspension of accredited centres for foreign based Graduate Records Examination (GRE) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in Nigeria, the British Council in the country has urged candidates willing to school abroad to opt for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which it administers.

The council, in a statement issued by its Communications Manager, Desmond Omovie said IELTS is widely recognised as a language requirement for courses in higher education in many countries including the UK, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, among others.

The statement added: “It’s no longer news that the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) administered by the British Council in Nigeria is the leading Secure English Language Test in Nigeria. This feat has been achieved by British Council’s policy of not compromising on quality in the delivery of exams in its 20 years of exams administration in Nigeria.

“And the growth in test numbers also reflects the strong growth in the number of organisations turning to IELTS to meet their needs for language proficiency assessment.”

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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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English-language students from overseas hit as colleges close

May 15, 2014—Dozens of foreign students who came to Ireland to learn English have told RTÉ news they are facing destitution, after the collapse of two English language colleges in recent weeks.

Eden and Irish Business School have not reimbursed the students, who paid up to €3,000 each for their courses.

Students have told RTÉ news that they cannot afford to pay for flights to go home.

Many are also worried about their immigration status because the visas they received were linked to the fact that they were studying here.

At least 1,600 foreign students, mostly young people, are affected.

Immigration authorities have told RTE News they are working with representatives of the students and that the students have nothing to fear regarding their status.

The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, said it has provided students with time to assess their options and to see what can be done to facilitate transfer to alternative courses.

Several private colleges in Dublin have offered students places for free.

However, those colleges say the numbers of students effected are overwhelming.

Those colleges have expressed concern about the damage the closures will have done to Ireland's international reputation as a place to come and learn English and other skills.

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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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Brazilian pupils learn English by correcting celebrities’ tweets

July 14, 2013—A Brazilian school is using celebrities to help its pupils learn English, but with a twist: it’s the kids correcting the stars.

The Red Balloon school had children correct grammatical errors in tweets by stars such as Sylvester Stallone, Rihanna and Justin Bieber.

“New experiment of Red Balloon, to show Brazilian kids can speak English better than native speaker celebrities on Twitter!” the school said in a YouTube video showing its “Celeb Grammar Cops.”

In the video posted last June 10, the school said the experiment had children aged 8 to 13 checking their favorite celebrities' tweets.

The school said it decided to do something about the potential threat of social media to encourage bad grammar—it had the children reply to the celebrities.

“The kids would tweet back at the celebrities, explaining politely what was wrong in their tweets,” Buzzfeed.com reported.

Buzzfeed added these pupils appear “definitely the most polite correctors of grammar on the Internet, that’s for sure.”

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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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Saudi high school students take tests for English skills

JEDDAH, April 8, 2014—A total of 867 Saudi high school students sat for Aptis, a new English Language proficiency test introduced by the British Council in seven schools across the Kingdom’s cities on Sunday.

Abdulkadir Ahmed the examination service adviser and representative of the British council told Arab News, “We are providing opportunities to students who can’t go to the UK to give exams. Students can also follow up on different exams in the UK,” he said. “Aptis is a new program of the British Council which we introduced at the Manarat schools in Jeddah today,” he added.

He explained that Aptis is similar to the IELTS but easier. “It’s an online exam but has to be given in a group of at least 10 students at a time,” he said.

The best thing about Aptis besides being an online exam is the flexibility it affords where students can split the sections and take the exam as they wish.

Following the conclusion of the first series of exams, the second phase of testing will commence with the participation of 8000 students, Ahmed said.

Aptis has been designed to meet the needs of companies and institutions around the world, and is used by those wanting an adaptable English language test that can provide reliable results within 24 hours.

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Saudis propose specialized clubs to make English teaching easier and interesting

JEDDAH, January 28, 2014—Many Saudis are not happy with English-language teaching centers inside the Kingdom and have proposed specialized clubs to make learning easier and more interesting.

Some people prefer centers in Western countries to those in the Kingdom because the former gives them a chance to mix with English-speaking people.

“We should have specialized clubs to make English learning easier and effective,” said Abdul Mohsen Al-Talhi, a Saudi employee. “These clubs should have different activities including sports, picnics, and show movies and television programs, where students can interact often with their colleagues and instructors,” he told Arab News.

He said such clubs would help students speak freely without fear and learn new things every day. “This is much better than what is presently offered at our language centers,” he said. “These clubs must arrange visits to markets and institutions such as universities, English-language newspapers and international schools. They should give lessons for an hour inside classrooms and organize two-hour programs outside. This will give students more opportunities to interact with people.”

Al-Talhi said many Saudis prefer to attend courses in the US, UK and Canada because they get more opportunities to talk in English. “They don’t get such an atmosphere in Saudi Arabia.” He said instructors in these clubs should also allow students to watch CNN and BBC to learn new words and their pronunciation.

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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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Get this English jargon out of our offices ASAP, say the French
By Henry Samuel

PARIS, May 2, 2014 (Daily Telegraph UK)—English is increasingly being heard in French offices including jargon such as “workshop”, “ASAP” and “brainstorming,” a new dictionary suggests.

The Academie Francaise—custodian of the language that come up with alternatives to Anglicisms—has  managed to keep English terms at bay in the bureaucracy, but their linguistic sway over the private sector has proved far less effective.

Already the bane of English offices, French firms are seeing more terms such as “benchmarking,” “bullet points,” and “burnout.”

The Dictionnaire du Nouveau Francais published last week lists 400 neologisms that have entered the French language but not yet been picked up by official dictionaries—and about half of them come from English. In many cases, this simply means stealing the English term, such as drawing up a “to do list” rather than a “liste de choses a faire,” or meeting a “deadline” rather than respecting a “delai.”

The practice has infuriated purists, with Alain Rey, a French linguist, saying: “When there is a possible French translation I admit that I find it completely ridiculous [to use an English version]. This supposedly universal management speak made up of French stuffed full of English or very bad and poorly mastered English does not guarantee clear thought.”

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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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Deutsche Bahn aims to roll back use of English
By Jeevan Vasagar, Telegraph.co.uk

BERLIN, June 24, 2013—Germany’s rail operator Deutsche Bahn has launched a campaign to roll back the use of English, issuing staff a booklet of 2,200 German phrases that should be used instead of the corresponding Anglicisms.

The aim is to halt the spread of hybrid German-English – sometimes known as Denglisch – which produces confusing phrases like “Rail & Fly” for a train connection to the airport. The campaign will see coinages like “Flyern” – leaflets or flyers – replaced by the correct German word Handzetteln.

Guidelines for Deutsche Bahn's staff now call for the use of German wherever possible.
A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn said the goal was to ensure that the language used was clearly understood by customers.

“To help employees we have given them a glossary of Anglicisms so that they can take a critical look at their everyday speech and put a brake on the inflationary use of English and pseudo-English,” the spokesman said.

Deutsche Bahn was not exceptional in its use of Anglicisms, he added.

“This is a trend in society that is probably a reflection of increasing internationalisation and globalisation.”

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Virtual English-language school “Open English” now worth millions
By Ingrid Rojas, ABCNews.com

June 26, 2013—Yes, you can make your entrepreneurial dream come true even if you only have $700 in the bank. That’s what Andres Moreno did eight years ago in Venezuela when he and his friend Wilmer Sarmiento launched Open English, an online English school targeting Spanish speakers in Latin America, now worth a cool $350 million.

Prior to launching Open English, Moreno, who’s 30 and a college dropout, had launched a traditional English language school in their hometown of Caracas. They would fly recent U.S. college grads down to teach executives of Fortune 500 companies based in Venezuela. But despite the school's success and big name client roster, Moreno and his team realized that the model was not scalable. So he ditched the brick and mortar model and switched to an all-online model, 21st century style.

Raising capital from Caracas was a hard task, however. So with $700 left in his bank, Moreno bet everything on their new idea and traveled to San Francisco and Los Angeles. There, angel investors handed him $10,000 and $20,000 checks that allowed them to build a beta site and proof of concept.

Fast forward eight years, Open English is now based in Miami, Florida, has 2,000 employees and has raised over $120 million.

In the process Moreno, also met his future Chief Product Officer and wife, Nicolette, who also doubles as “Jenny” in all their quirky, homemade, commercials.

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“No English-language Ibsen in summer embarrassing”—Norway tourism official
 
OSLO, July 3, 2013—The Ministry of Culture has put aside NOK 1.8 million in an attempt to make Norwegian culture accessible to more tourists, but Norwegian is an enemy of the people.

“It’s embarrassing it’s not possible to experience Ibsen in English in Norway in summer, it should be maneagable,” Hilde Charlotte Solheim, Enterprise Federation of Norway tourism and culture director, told Aftenposten, citing this season’s Munch exhibition.

Norway’s prices, service-levels, lack of choice, and hotel standards have had a tendency to confuse or put foreign visitors off. Some find Norwegians aloof, an Oslo-based academic problematises their missing small-talk abilities.

“One major problem with the Norwegian tourism industry is that we don’t package basic services such as transportation, accommodation, and meals together with the reason for why tourists come here.”

She added that Norway’s tourism and culture sectors must be better at cooperating on an equal footing to attract foreign visitors and mutually benefit from income.

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Why is Spain experiencing an English language boom?
BY Anmar Frangoul, New Statesman

MADRID, July 11, 2013—Take a trip on Madrid’s Metro during the morning rush hour and you will be struck by two things: the number of suited commuters burying their heads in English language textbooks, and the amount of wall space taken up by private schools, or academias, advertising English courses.

Twenty-seven per cent of the population is unemployed; that’s over six million people. In a ferociously competitive job market, Spaniards see learning a foreign language as the best way of distinguishing themselves from others. While many here struggle to make ends meet, while angry protests against politicians, austerity and banks take place almost daily, English language schools have never had it so good.

Andalusia has been hit very hard by the crisis. With a local unemployment rate of 35.4 per cent, the demand for English lessons is high. Until last July, Pilar, a resident of Seville who studied law at university, worked for a property development company. “I was there for six years, during the construction boom,” she says. “When I started there were 44 of us. Now there are only two.”

Out of work and applying for jobs, she is investing time (three to four hours a day, not counting homework) and money in an intensive English course. In Spain, this can cost upwards of €600 – a large sum if you are unemployed. “My course is demanding, and expensive,” Pilar says. “But I need to differentiate myself from other candidates. If I have a good level of English, I will have more opportunities to get a job.”

Pedro, a 37-year-old father-oftwo, lives in Dos Hermanas, a 20-minute drive from Seville. He lost his job as a construction manager last year and is struggling to find employment. “The last job I went for, 700 other people applied,” he says.

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Jamaica proposes teaching Venezuelans English for oil debt

September 7, 2013—Jamaica will, this weekend, seek to have Venezuela agree to a proposal for the training of Venezuelans in English language as part of a programme to offset oil debts.

Phillip Paulwell, Jamaica’s minister of science, technology, energy and mining, who leaves the island for Port-au-Prince, Haiti, today, said he is expecting a positive response to the proposal.

“By the end of the weekend, I will be able to report on it,” Paulwell told The Gleaner.

Paulwell will be attending the 11th meeting of the PetroCaribe Council of Ministers and the second meeting of the PetroCaribe Economic Zone.

“We are continuing our discussions with Venezuela in relation to trade-compensation mechanism, and we expect a very positive outcome on a proposal that they are contemplating,” Paulwell told The Gleaner yesterday.

Under the PetroCaribe arrangement, Jamaica pays Venezuela only 60 per cent of the cost of the oil it receives. The remainder is set aside as a loan, which is payable over 20 years at an interest rate of one per cent.

Since 2005, more than US$2.3 billion has accrued to Jamaica under the arrangement.

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President says Gambia to shift from English to local language

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Gambia's president said that he wants to implement a policy change that would shift the country's language from English to a local language.

“We no longer subscribe to the belief that for you to be a government you should speak English language. We should speak our language,” President Yahya Jammeh said during the swearing-in ceremony of Gambia's new Chief Justice that aired on state-run Gambia Television Services on Friday.

The announcement comes months after the West African country announced it is withdrawing from the Commonwealth, a collection of 54 nations made up largely of former British colonies, saying it would “never be a member of any neo-colonial institution.”

The United Kingdom recently warned its citizens of rising anti-British rhetoric from the president, who last year accused the former colonial power and the United States of organizing coup attempts in the West African nation. The allegations were denied.

Though a popular destination for British tourists, Gambia has also been criticized by the U.K. for human rights abuses, including when it executed nine death-row inmates by firing squad in August 2012. Rights groups such as Amnesty International have also criticized Jammeh's government for cracking down on dissent and targeting political opponents and sexual minorities for arrest and detention, among other alleged abuses.

Gambia is at loggerheads with the European Union as the bloc threatens to suspend its aid if the country's human rights situation is not improved.

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Colombia launches new program to promote English as 2nd language
By Daniel Medendorp Escobar,

July 10, 2014—Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos launched a new program called “Colombia Very Well,” on Thursday, with the intention of promoting bilingualism in Colombia.

According to a press statement released by the Office of the Presidency, the program is intended to promote bilingualism in Colombia, stating, “Today, only 9,000 high school graduates have an intermediate level of English. Our goal is to increase that number to 185,000 in ten years.”

In addition to promoting English among students, the project also aims to mobilize workers in the private and public sectors with the knowledge of English, and to strengthen a culture that values bilingualism as part of education.

The bilingualism initiative is slated to include immersion programs in San Andres – an English/Spanish-speaking island-state of Colombia northwest of the mainland – and in other countries with the creation of phone and tablet apps, in addition to delivering six million English textbooks to facilitate the program, according to Santos.

This policy is intended to be one of the highlights of the Santos educational policy in his second term, according to Colombian economic newspaper La Republica.

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