DepEd to implement seven-week program for incoming grade one kids

CEBU CITY, March 30 (PNA) – The Department of Education (DepEd) will implement a seven-week Kindergarten Summer Program in schools nationwide from April 11 to June 3, to ensure children are prepared to enter grade one.

But Celestiano Jimenez, Cebu City assistant schools division superintendent, said a similar summer program for incoming grade one pupils has been in place in Cebu City for four years already.

He said about 10,000 children in the city enroll in the program each year.

Jimenez said they are encouraging the 69 elementary schools in Cebu City to hold a summer program, adding that a seminar for pre-school teachers in the city will be organized on April 1 to 5.

”It’s important to prepare the children for formal education,” he said.

Full story...

More foreign language courses offered to Philippine high school students

MANILA, March 21, 2011—Priming up Filipino students for the global arena, the Department of Education is set to introduce more foreign languages in pilot schools as the department aims to produce more internationally competitive graduates.

Aside from English which is the first foreign language to be mastered by selected secondary students, other foreign languages being taught to third and fourth year students are Spanish, French, Japanese, and German.

Mandarin, which is widely used in world economic power China and Arabic which is spoken in the vast Middle East market, are set to debut this school year.

Deped’s Bureau of Secondary Education chief Director Lolita Andrada said the Special Program in Foreign Language is designed for schools whose students have demonstrated competence first in English before they start to learn another foreign language. “Studies have shown that facility in just one foreign language is now perceived as a disadvantage in a global market that is culturally and linguistically diverse,” added Andrada.

She explained that while English is a major language, it only accounts for around 30 percent of the world gross domestic product and is likely to account for less in the future.

Full story...

Probe sought on scheme to exploit Filipino nurses
By Roy C. Mabasa, Manila Bulletin

MANILA, March 23, 2011—An organization of Filipino migrants has called the attention of the Philippine and New Zealand governments to probe recruitment agencies that entice Filipino nurses with the promise that studying English in New Zealand offers better chances of meeting the level of English proficiency required by the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ).

In its advisory “Filipino Nurses Beware of English Language Scheme as Pathway to Become a New Zealand Registered Nurse,” Migrante Aotearoa aired the grievances of Filipino nurses who shared their frustrations about the deceptive English language scheme that brought them to New Zealand.

Migrante claimed that the nurses trapped in the quake-devastated building in Christchurch would not have been there if they have not been lured to study English in New Zealand by recruitment agencies working in partnership with language schools such as King’s College.

In its website, Global Summit Consultancy and Assistance Services Inc. notes in a video “Nursing Migration Pathway” that even though doors in Australia, Canada and other countries have been closed for most nurses, “a window has been opened, especially for those who are seeking permanent migration in New Zealand…”

Full story...

Senator wants impeachment rules in plain language

March 22, 2011—Rules on the Ombudsman's impeachment trial should follow a basic rule: Omit needless words.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago made this remark Tuesday, adding that rules should be purged of words like "hereinunder" to make them easier for the public to understand.

She said the rules, which were virtually copied from the US Senate manual on impeachment, have to be updated to make them more accessible.

"The English they use is too old-fashioned," she said.

Plain language will also be helpful to the senator-judges who will hear the case. Of 23 senators, only nine are lawyers.

Santiago suggested the rules should be edited according to Elements of Style, a style guide written in 1918, and has sold more than 10 million copies by 2009.

Full story...

Use of English as medium of instruction pushed

BONTOC, Mt. Province, March 24, 2011 (PIA)—Congressman Maximo B. Dalog has co-authored House Bill No. 93, introduced by Cebu Representative Eduardo R. Gullas which seeks to strengthen and enhance the use of English as the medium of instruction in Philippine schools.

This bill aims to correct the defects of the current Bilingual Education Program of the Department of Education and has the ultimate objective of improving the learning process in schools to ensure quality outputs.

Gullas, in his explanatory note, stated that the Bilingual Policy of the Department of Education, introduced in 1974 through DECS Order No. 25, s. 1974, was designed to develop a “bilingual nation competent in the use of English and Filipino.”

This policy mandated the teaching of Filipino as a subject in all curricular levels from the elementary to college. It also required the use of Filipino as a medium of instruction in Social Studies, Character Education, Values Education, Physical Education, Industrial Arts, and Home Economics.

Full story...

Zamboanga division office of DepEd chosen to launch 2011 Project Citizen

ZAMBOANGA CITY, March 16 (PNA) -- The Zamboanga City Division Office of the Department of Education (DepEd) has been selected by the University of Asia and the Pacific to launch the 2011 Project Citizen, a campaign intended to develop school children not only as concerned citizens conscious of their civic duties but also develop skills in speaking the English language.

Dr. Maybelle Tee, Division Education Supervisor for Social Studies, said the Zamboanga division office was one of the seven selected areas in the country chosen to launch DepEd’s newest advocacy.

Six social studies teachers under the Division Office were trained for 23 days in Antipolo City as part of the international project, which is introduced in 60 countries in preparation for the event.

Tee said Project Citizen is a pedagogical approach where critical skills, particularly discourse, civic knowledge and right attitudes are needed to influence public policies affecting the citizens.

Full story...

Students from remote Albay towns score better in NAT than urbanites

LEGAZPI CITY, March 13, 2011—Access to modern technology such as the Internet, Wi-Fi zones and multifunction cell phones in urban centers did not make the students of Albay fare better than those who only hear the sound of crickets in the barrios.

Students in far-flung and upland public elementary and high schools in fact proved they were way ahead of their urban counterparts in Albay, results from the 2010 National Achievement Test (NAT) showed.

This prompted Albay Governor Joey Salceda to mull implementing in the province what he dubbed as the “Cinderella Rule,” or barring students from entering Internet cafés and computer game zones from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

“There are no Internet cafés in these far-flung barangays so pupils really spend more time on their studies after doing household chores like fetching water, washing dishes,” Salceda noted.

Full story...

Foreign doctors work in Britain without speaking English

March 29, 2011—Foreign doctors whose English is so poor that they need interpreters are being allowed to operate on patients in Britain, the medical regulator has warned.

The General Medical Council said current European rules represent a “serious cause of concern” and risk to patient safety by banning it from testing GPs’ language skills before they can start working here.

The regulator said it has some doctors on its books who "are not able to communicate in English" but could not prevent them seeking work here under European law.

It warned that bogus doctors from other countries may find their way into the NHS by presenting fake certificates or ID, because of a lack of security checks, or could hide the fact that they had been suspended from practising in their homeland.
Even genuine doctors from abroad may have little idea of how to carry out procedures that are standard in Britain, because there is no standard training, education or healthcare system.
The GMC’s strongly worded submission to the European Commission, which is reviewing the laws that allow free movement of medics across the continent, comes after the scandal of Daniel Ubani.

Full story...

Children bored by “tedious” maths lessons
By Graeme Paton, Education Editor, Telegraph.UK

March 25, 2011—Thousands of children are being turned off maths and science at school because of “tedious” lessons, according to one of the world’s top physicists.

Michael Green, Lucasian professor of mathematics at Cambridge University, said teachers failed to present the “glamorous” side of the subjects as classes often descended into “drudgery” and “boredom”.

He called for a major overhaul of the curriculum and improved teacher training to stop teenagers deserting maths and science when they turn 16.

The comments come just days after a major study found that trainee teachers in England have worse standards of maths than those in other developed nations.

In an interview with the Times Educational Supplement, published today, Prof Green said primary school maths was often “tedious” and seen as “something you have to get through.”

Full story...

NHS uproar over the foreign doctors with “awful” English

March 22, 2011—Chief executive Helen Ashley admits getting complaints about doctors’ language skills

Doctors recruited from abroad often speak such poor English that many cannot talk to their patients properly, an NHS hospital has admitted.

Out of Britain’s 239,000 qualified medics, 88,327 are classed as “overseas trained,” either in the EU or further afield.

The hospital trust’s comments highlight the absurd reality that the UK cannot impose rules to check the quality of English spoken by some overseas doctors without breaching their freedom to travel and work under EU law.

Jim Morrison, chairman of Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I don’t want to sound racist but some of the worst-speaking doctors I have come across have been from Europe.” He also told East Staffordshire Borough Council’s health sub-committee last week that foreign locums’ grasp of English was at times “absolutely awful”.

Full story...

Language tests should change, says opposition immigration spokesman

March 31, 2011—English language tests were being used as a trade barrier to restrict temporary workers coming into Australia, the opposition immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison, said yesterday.

English skills were important for workplace safety and social cohesion, but the English testing program had to be geared to vocational skills and not a ''one-size-fits-all'' test that applied to both a German PhD student and a Brazilian abattoir worker, he said.

The level of English tested should also take into account the intended length of stay, and was not as critical for a three-month contract.

Mr Morrison said increased temporary labour migration, with greater conditions applied, would better meet skills shortages than the informal overseas workforce provided by the working holiday and student visa program.

Full story...

Probe hears of bribes for overseas migrant English exams

March 24, 2011—Up to 25 immigrants could have paid bribes to have their English-language exams changed in order to be granted a visa or permanent residency, a West Australian corruption hearing has heard.

The state's Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) is investigating allegations a staff member at Curtin University was bribed to falsify results of English-language competency tests.

It is mandatory that applicants for permanent residency and work or students' visas pass the International English Testing System (IELTS), which is relied upon by the Department of Immigration.

In 2009 Abdul Kader, who migrated from India and is now an Australian citizen, was living in a sharehouse with an employee at the Curtin English Language Centre, Keith Low.

Mr Kader had been approached by his former petrol station workmate Pritesh Shah concerned about a friend, Vishnal Pandya, who was applying for permanent residency but was repeatedly failing the English language requirements.

Full story...

Visa centre corruption probe

March 17, 2011—Western Australia's corruption watchdog is conducting a potentially explosive investigation into the delivery of English language tests used to substantiate competency for permanent residency, work and student visas.

The Corruption and Crime Commission revealed yesterday that it was investigating possible corruption at Curtin University's English language testing centre in Perth, but indicated the probe would also examine other testing centres.

Curtin vice-chancellor Jeanette Hacket said the university became aware of possible misconduct at its centre last year and immediately referred it to the CCC.

She said the officer who triggered the alarm was no longer working there.

Curtin's testing is primarily used for immigration visas.

The CCC said public hearings would begin next week to investigate whether any past or present public officer engaged in misconduct and whether the International English Language Testing System had been compromised.

Full story...

Free ride past language barrier
By Andrew Trounson, The Australian

March 16, 2011—Gigi Foster knows her disturbing research findings on international students won't make her many friends. In a university sector grown dependent on international fee revenue, it might not do much to progress her academic career either.

But the audience she wants to reach is not academe but the policy-makers. It's at this level where change could be driven to address the poor language and cultural skills she says are undermining their performance.

"It is risky for me, but it is my duty to look at this," says Foster, a Harvard graduate who moved to Australia in 2003.

But she believes her research provides evidence that universities are too often turning a blind eye to the poor written and verbal English skills of many international students.

She says her statistical analysis reveals that international students are being allowed to underperform and this is being camouflaged to an extent by grade inflation.

Full story...

Under new plan, all Capo teachers are English-language teachers
By Penny Arévalo, AlisoViejo.Patch.com

March 28, 2011—A program designed to boost weak test scores among non-native English speakers is being rolled out by the Capistrano Unified School District.

The program, called Keystone, has been tested at Capistrano Valley High School and Marco Forster Middle School for two years and is in its first year of a districtwide expansion. Under the new plan—approved by the school board in January—all teachers will be trained to teach English newcomers.

“We need to change how we think about educating students, especially [non-native] students. We need to meet their needs in the regular, core curriculum,” said Julie Hatchel, assistant superintendent of education services.

For two years, Capo’s English learners have not hit their goal on the Academic Performance Index, a way to measure mastery of English and mathematics.

In the most recent results, the 5,662 English-learning students scored an API of 713. Overall, district students have an average score of 862. While the English learners’ recent score was 10 points above their previous showing, the improvement was not enough to avoid scrutiny. The goal is for the English learners to score an 800.

Full story...

Indirectly Speaking: Cheat the cheaters with a test of real ability
By Mike Guest, The Daily Yomiuri

March 28, 2011—February's university entrance exam cheating scandal, which had seemingly the entire nation caught dazzled in its collective headlights discussing how to eliminate future subterfuge. Some called for stricter rules as to what is allowed into the testing venue, recommending that cell phones be handed over before entering the site. But this would not foil determined cheaters who could easily hide a cell phone and instead hand over a dud to proctors. And the more technologically proficient could well start using an assortment of hidden gadgets resembling something out of a spy film. Hey--they have the technology.

Others called for better-trained or more alert proctors. Having invigilated tests myself on numerous occasions, I must admit that I find it stunning that the perpetrator pulled off his cell phone stunt not just once, but at four different test venues. I had thought that proctoring naturally required a constant monitoring by walking about the room while being as surreptitious as possible so as not to disturb the examinees--in short, being vigilant! I had not imagined that a student holding an item under the table or regularly looking away from the test paper would go unnoticed, but I have heard since that in some settings proctors fall asleep or concentrate on other work. Still, the sneak in the Kyoto University must have been either exceedingly lucky to have had inattentive proctors four times or have magician-like stealth in his manner.

Full story...

Japan launches primary push to teach English

March 8, 2011—Compulsory foreign language lessons start next month for all 10- to 12-year-olds, raising hopes among educators and industry leaders of ending a decades-long 'English deficit'

With just weeks to go before English becomes a compulsory subject at Japan's primary schools, doubts surround the boldest attempt in decades to improve the country's language skills, and its ability to compete overseas with rival Asian economies.

The new curriculum is to be introduced after intense lobbying from the business community, amid fears that Japan's competitive edge could be blunted unless it takes English communication as seriously as China and South Korea.

The new classes, which start in April, will be aimed at fifth- and sixth-grade pupils, aged 10-12, at all of Japan's public primary schools. The lessons will be held only once a week – or 35 times a year – with each lasting 45 minutes.

By the time they leave primary school, children should know 285 English words and 50 expressions, although the education ministry is reluctant to talk of targets.

Full story...

Andhra Pradesh government gives English push at primary education level

March 26, 2011—With English increasingly becoming the preferred language of education even among the students hailing from poorer sections of the society and also rural areas, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to lay emphasis on English right from Class I in its schools.

Accordingly, English will now be taught as the second language from Class I from 2011-12 academic year, minister for primary education Sake Sailajanath said.

"The basic idea is to provide access to children from poorer sections as well as rural areas to English education right from Class I rather than Class III (the current policy), so that they compete with students of private schools," Sailajanath told Press Trust of India.

A report by the Regional Institute of English (RIE), (Bangalore) has established that the percentage of enrolment of students in government schools has drastically reduced from 84.48% to 55.72% in primary and upper primary schools, whereas admissions in the private residential schools increased from 17.52% to 44.28% in the period from 1995-96 to 2009-10 in Andhra Pradesh.

Full story...

Master your language

April 1, 2011—Two years ago, Taufiq Alam could barely speak English. Now, he is not just fluent in the language but can even address a gathering of over a hundred people.

Taufiq was among the first batch of students who benefited from the English Access Microscholarship programme that began at the Sir Syed Group of Schools, Mominpur, two years ago. They were recently present at a programme to induct the second batch of 100 students.

“I got the opportunity to learn English. I was ready to set aside my inhibitions and rise to the challenge,” said Taufiq, a Class X student at Kidderpore Muslim High School.

Funded by the US department of state, the two-year programme enables underprivileged children to learn the language and communicate better.

The programme began in India in 2004. In the city, it began at the Sir Syed Group of Schools two years ago.

Full story...

English, regional languages battle it out in Goa

PANAJI, March 23 (IANS)—The battle between English and regional languages as the medium of instruction in Goa is heating up.

After thousands of supporters of the English language as the medium of instruction for school students marked their turf Monday, a new front Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) has vowed to back regional languages Konkani and Marathi.

The BBSM, which comprises freedom fighters, a former chief minister and a section of the clergy, has now threatened a statewide agitation against making English as the medium of instruction.

“We want the education minister to resign for being part of a meeting which demanded that English should be made the medium of instruction,” former chief minister Shashikala Kakodkar said.

Underlining the importance of the mother tongue, Kakodkar said a massive statewide agitation would be organised by the BBSM to “end attempts made by vested interests towards cultural annihilation of Goa and de-linking Goa from the national mainstream.”

Full story...

Turkey to hire native English speakers as guest teachers

March 24, 2011—The Ministry of Education will bring in native English-speaking teachers to work with teachers in English language classes across Turkey starting from the next academic year as part of a project aiming to improve the education of foreign languages in the country.

As part of the project, launched due to the criticism that foreign languages are not taught well in the country, "English cafés" will be opened, popular cartoons and children's shows will be aired in English with Turkish subtitles and foreign language education sets will be distributed to students. The project will run for five years at an estimated cost of TL 1.5 billion. The project aims to be the foundation of the nation's foreign language teaching policy.

With the project, 10,000 English teachers will arrive in Turkey over the next four years and activities will be held during weekends and the summer vacation with the participation of Turkish teachers of English and native English-speaking teachers.

In English classes, native English-speaking teachers will accompany Turkish teachers and take part in extracurricular activities. The native teachers will also hold speaking classes for both the students and the Turkish teachers of English.

Full story...

Schools urged to improve foreign language training to meet IT demand

March 20, 2011—Software companies have called on schools to strongly reform the training of foreign languages for the information technology (IT) sector. They believe that it is necessary to compel the schools, which provide the labor force for the software industry, to teach in English.

More than 60 percent cannot meet requirements in foreign language skills

Foreign language skill is one of the four criteria used to assess the quality of the IT labor force: background knowledge, technology skill, foreign language skill and soft skills.

Poor foreign language skill remains a problem among the Vietnamese IT labor force. A mini survey conducted by Buu dien Vietnam on nearly ten software firms in Vietnam showed that only 25-40 percent of workers can meet requirements in foreign language skills.

According to Le Xuan Hai, Director of Vietsoftware International, the foreign language level of new graduates has improved a little in the last two or three years. They can communicate and read documents in English, but they are still bad at speaking and writing. In general, Hai said, only 25 percent of workers can meet the requirements.

Full story...

Educationists refute myth about teaching English at an early age

TAIF, March 17, 2011—The issue of whether English should be taught in Saudi elementary schools continues to be the topic of a hot debate, with some experts saying fluency in the language is necessary to gain employment in the Kingdom’s job market.

However, there are others who claim that this would hinder children from learning their mother tongue, and weaken their understanding of Arab culture and Islam.

In Saudi government schools, English is taught from the sixth grade of the elementary level. Even though the Ministry of Education has approved the teaching of English from the first grade, the decision has still not been implemented. Nevertheless, some private Saudi schools have started teaching English from the first grade.

According to Ibrahim Al-Saleem, a professor of educational psychology, many Saudis have poor skills in speaking, reading and writing English — even after they graduate from secondary school or university — because of inadequate exposure to the language as children.

Full story...

Al Jazeera to air Children's Channel in English

QATAR, March 7, 2011—The Al Jazeera Children's Channel (JCC) plans to launch an English-language station for broadcast outside the Arab world.

International versions of the station in English and Arabic will be available by the end of next year, said Mahmoud Bouneb, the executive general manager of JCC.

"We have an ambition to create an international feed for JCC that will benefit other markets, [such as] Asia and North America," said Mr Bouneb.

JCC, which is majority-owned by the Qatar Foundation, also broadcasts a pre-school station called Baraem TV. The Arabic-language stations are available via the Arabsat, Nilesat and Hot Bird satellites across the Middle East and parts of Europe.

The Qatar Foundation owns a 90 per cent stake in JCC, with the news broadcaster Al Jazeera holding a small stake. The Qatar Foundation owns 100 per cent of Baraem TV.

An international feed is intended to use content from JCC and Baraem TV in Arabic and English, Mr Bouneb said.

Full story...

German linguists oppose influx of English words
By Helen Pidd in Wiesbaden, The Guardian UK

WIESBADEN, March 14, 2011—In January Munich-based Siemens announced it would use fewer Anglicisms in future.

It is the mother tongue of Goethe, Schiller and Brecht, a language still spoken by more than 100 million people worldwide. But an increasing number of linguists now fear German is under mortal danger from a torrent of Anglicisms flooding into the nation's vocabulary.

The German Language Association (Verein Deutsche Sprache, or VDS) fears that German could become a "peripheral" language if steps are not taken to protect it from foreign invasions.

Each month the VDS updates its Anglicism Index, which reports new English words which have crept into common parlance and then suggests home grown alternatives. The latest entries include "follower", "live-stream" and "socializing" which ought really, it says, be "Anhänger", "Direkt-Datenstrom" and "Geselligkeit". Other unwelcome new additions are classic examples of the mongrel known as "Denglisch" – "business breakfast" and "eye catcher", neither of which are used by native English speakers.

"German has been losing its importance for 100 years," said Holger Klatte, spokesman of the VDS. "Particularly in the areas of technology, medicine, the internet and the economy, English is becoming ever more important…”

Full story...

Scientist says language begins before birth

March 12, 2011—A University of Regina neurolinguist contends that babies in the womb are already starting to learn language by hearing its rhythm

Children start to learn language even before they're born, neurolinguist Holly Bardutz is teaching students in her language acquisition class at the University of Regina.

While still in the womb, babies already start to learn language by hearing the rhythm of the language, says Bardutz.

To recreate what it's like in the womb, and what a baby might hear, Bardutz asked her students to spend class time in the university's pool, with their ears under water, listening to people above ground speaking in various languages, including Urdu (which is spoken in India), Spanish, Chinese, Dutch, English, French and Korean.

"What we're looking for is the rhythm of the language," Bardutz explained.

Full story...

Jury selected for English-language awards of excellence for youth

March 9, 2011—The Youth Media Alliance (YMA) has announced the jury for its 2011 English-Language Awards of Excellence, to be held in Toronto on June 2.

For more than 35 years, YMA has been recognizing the importance of quality screen-based content for Canadian kids, and the organization says it is proud this year to have unparalleled representation by children's & youth TV professionals…

The juries will judge the quality of the entries based on various components of production, including concept, writing, overall direction and direction of actors, art direction, research, technical aspects, performance, audience targeting, music and interactivity.

YMA is also very pleased to be partnering with a leading game designer) and game producer to evaluate interactive mobile and Web content. These juries will look at various areas of production, like content, structure and browsing, interactivity, concept originality and content philosophy, to assess projects submitted by Canadian producers of interactive youth content.

Full story...

University vice-chancellor affirms stance on English
 
PETALING JAYA, March 12, 2011—The call to strengthen the command of the English language is not meant to sideline Bahasa Malaysia, said Universiti Malaya (UM) vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Ghauth Jasmon.

Dr Ghauth said his words had been misinterpreted by some students who were offended after listening to a presentation he gave on Feb 14 which highlighted the poor command of the English language among local graduates.

“It was never my intention to do so. I will not apologise, and this will not discourage me from going around to give more talks to convey the importance of taking UM to a higher level,” he said at a press conference held to clarify the issue yesterday.

In the hour-long conference with some 2,000 students, Dr Ghauth shared UM’s visions of achieving international standards and the means to achieve them.

Full story...

English language access
By Alycia Lim, TheStar.com.my

March 6, 2011—About a year ago, G. Moganathasan could not even string a proper sentence in English, but today he stands proud speaking the language clearly and confidently, after attending a language propgramme.

Sharing his experience, the 16-year-old said that English was never spoken at home as he only spoke to his parents and siblings in Tamil, his mother tongue, or occasionally in Malay, when he had to speak with the neighbours.

“My social skills have really improved, and now I am more than willing to hold a conversation in English with anyone,” he said at the end of his testimonial which was received with thunderous applause from the floor.

Moganathasan, whose father works as a storekeeper, is one of 80 underprivileged secondary school students in the country who was selected last year to be part of the pioneer batch under the ACCESS Microscholarship Programme (ACCESS).

The programme is jointly organised by ELS Language Centres Malaysia and the United States Embassy to promote English language learning among Malaysian youth.

Full story...

Chinese language could rival English, says Taiwan national university president

March 6, 2011—Dr. Si-chen Lee, president of National Taiwan University (NTU), said yesterday morning that the concept “globalization means Englishization” has changed along with the rapid rise of China, and Chinese and English may become two major common international languages in the next five to 10 years.

Lee made the remarks when inaugurating the 2011 NTU Azalea Festival, an event designed for senior high school students to know more about the NTU.

Lee also announced that the NTU will invest NT$50 billion in the coming five years in programs to upgrade and globalize its operations, in a bid to achieve the goal of ranking among the world's top 50 universities.

The president said that at the moment, one tenth of NTU students come from abroad, and one third of freshmen joining the university in the second half of the year will have the chance to take short-term studies or serve as exchange students at foreign universities.

Full story...

South Korean students learn English from robot teacher

DAEGU, March 9, 2011—Many South Korean families spend thousands of dollars a year on English language education for their children. Students attend private academies often until late at night every day. Most such schools hire teachers from abroad, but a team of engineers has created a robot that they hope will eventually replace foreign instructors.

Engkey wheels around the front of a classroom at the Hagjeong Primary School in Daegu.

The egg-shaped robot asks the class—six fourth-grade students—to repeat English phrases and teaches them children’s songs in English.

But Engkey’s voice is not its own. It is connected via teleconference to the Philippines, where a teacher conducts the class through a monitor. An image of a Caucasian woman appears on Engkey’s LCD panel head, although she is not the teacher in the Philippines.

But Engkey’s creators say this robot is much more than a video screen on wheels.

Kim Mun-sang is director of the Intelligent Robotics Program at the government-funded Korea Institute for Science and Technology in Seoul. He explains how the robot works.

Full story...

Government to intensify English training for teachers
   
March 6, 2011—Education Minister, Dr. Charles Murigande, yesterday revealed that his ministry is going to strengthen training of teachers in English language proficiency.

Addressing the press at the Prime Minister's offices, Murigande said the Ministry is going to look for mentors for the teachers to improve their English.

"We carried out training for the teachers in December, now we will give them mentors who will follow their progress in schools, helping them in the language," he added.

Murigande emphasised that training teachers during holidays was not enough and that is why they had opted for mentors.

He underscored that if they fail to get enough mentors in the country, they will get them from other countries in the region.

English language training for teachers aims at equipping them with skills in the language following a resolution by cabinet in 2008 to adopt it as the language of instruction in schools.

Full story...

New English language radio chat show debuts in France

Saint Blancard, February 27, 2011(PR.com)—The Flattery Show is the first English language radio chat show aired in the south west of France and a flagship Sunday evening programme broadcast on Radio Coteaux in the Gascony region. The show is presented by American Patricia McKinnes and Irishman John Slattery, who take over the airwaves at 5pm and finish at 7pm.

The Flattery Show is a music based programme that includes light-hearted banter and whimsical jokes by the co-hosts. Listeners' views and comments are discussed and there are rotating segments such as "Song of The Week", "Ask a Frenchie," and "Life in the South-West". To keep listeners on their toes, random topics are picked from a big "Bag O Topics."

The Flattery Show, still in its infancy, has received very favourable feedback from listeners and businesses alike. John and Patricia, who launched the project themselves, say that they are enjoying the adventure of producing a groundbreaking radio show, first of its type in France. “Nearly 500,000 Britons, and at least 3 Irish and 3 Americans that we know of in this area, now have a light entertainment radio program in English,” says John. “It's very exciting to create this show and we see this regular broadcast not only as fun entertainment for the expatriates living in France, but also as a bridge between the English speakers and the French.”

Full story...

Invest in adolescents' education and training, urges UNICEF

NAIROBI, February 25, 2011—With the majority (88 percent) of the world's 1.2 billion adolescents living in developing countries, investing in their education and training could break entrenched cycles of poverty and inequality, says the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) 2011 State of the World's Children report.

"We need to focus more attention now on reaching adolescents - especially adolescent girls - investing in education, health and other measures to engage them in the process of improving their own lives," Anthony Lake, UNICEF executive director, said in a statement issued at the launch of the report, Adolescence: An Age of Opportunity, on 25 February.

Lake said: "Adolescence is a pivot point - an opportunity to consolidate the gains we have made in early childhood or risk seeing those gains wiped out."

In Nairobi, UNICEF's regional director for eastern and southern Africa, Elhadj As Sy, told IRIN: "Africa has the largest proportion of children, adolescents and young people in the world. Almost half its population is younger than 18 years and almost two-thirds are younger than 25 years.

"As the gap between rich and poor, men and women, urban and rural keeps widening, and inequality generates a 'nothing to lose' generation, paying more attention to adolescents and young people is especially critical for the African nations. ."

Full story...

The loss of mother tongue?
By Gothataone Moeng, MmegiOnline

February 25, 2011—"Young people nowadays ke makgoa, they speak English only, if you ask them a question, they respond in English, they don't understand Setswana," says Freddy 'Rra-Lindiwe' Molebatsi.

 Molebatsi is a 79-year-old father of two brought up in Maitengwe who has been a long time resident of Tlokweng.He speaks Setswana with both a sprinkle of South African Tswana accent and a slight Ikalanga accent, the former a result of 27 years spent in South Africa as a construction worker, where he says he first learnt Setswana along with Sotho, Zulu, Venda and Afrikaans. Despite the languages he learnt later in his life, the traces of his formative years in Maitengwe, where he spoke Ikalanga exclusively - "the language I suckled from my mother" - are evident.

Molebatsi shares his concern about young people's predilection - at the expense of indigenous languages - for English with his 68-year-old wife Gertrude Gini 'Mma-Lindiwe' Molebatsi who, originally from Standerton, South Africa, grew up speaking Sotho and  Zulu. Their concern, however, is microcosmic of how the older generation feel about what has been described in some quarters as a crisis of Botswana's mother tongue languages.

Languages spoken in Botswana are estimated at around 23, many of which are under threat of extinction… 

Full story...

EU to offer “one-off” English-language-only entrance exam to attract more British

BRUSSELS, February 21, 2011—In a bid to attract more bright British candidates to apply for jobs in European Union institutions, officials in Brussels are considering an unusual step by offering a special 'one-off', English language only entrance examination.

Last week the European Commission president, José Manuel Barroso, lamented the shrinking number of Brits putting in applications to work in Brussels.

The 54-year-old Portuguese, who has been in charge since 2004, called the figure 'shockingly low' and believes that the main reason is because many top candidates are not proficient in any other language than their mother tongue.

Barroso has spoken with Prime Minister David Cameron and his Foreign Secretary, William Hague, about the problem, and they all agree that in order to boost numbers again, this 'one-off' English language exam is the answer.

“It's one of the options,” said one aide to Barroso, according to the Financial Times. “There is clearly a specific problem with the UK and it seems that language is the real issue.”

Full story...

Children’s use of too much English detrimental to mother languages

February 21, 2011—The use of English at an early age of a child has been described as detrimental to the preservation of mother languages.

In some urban areas in Lusaka, there is a growing trend among educated parents to teach their children English before they learn their original language.

To make matters worse, most gadgets that children play with use English for instructions of operations.

With this realization, the world is today commemorating International Mother Language day with focus on information communication technologies.

A linguistic expert, Dr. Nkolola Wakumelo, says there should be a provision for gadgets to be written in local languages for young people to use their indigenous languages.

Meanwhile, a linguistic doctor has expressed concern over the use of English in parliament.

Full story...