Philippine senator calls for immediate reform in education sector

MANILA, May 26, 2011 (PNA)—Senator Edgardo Angara called on Wednesday for immediate reevaluation of the country’s educational system, stressing that the government needs to enact dramatic reforms to rescue the struggling sector.

“We need to overhaul our education sector, to turn it on its head and examine it component by component, element by element,” said Angara at the National Education Forum hosted by the Department of Education (DepEd), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Angara, a former education secretary, said the country’s education system has been lagging behind its ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) neighbors especially in terms of government spending and investment.

“Looking at recent international studies —we are obviously among the weakest in terms of competitiveness in the region. We used to be the teacher of many Asian countries. Now, we have to go to them with a begging bowl," he lamented.

He stressed that human development is at the heart of a country's competitiveness.

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British firm wants call center agents with British accent

MANILA, May 20, 2011—A British telecommunications company that is exploring the business process outsourcing (BPO) market here wants to train Filipino call center agents in speaking English the way the Brits do, according to Malacañang.

This was one of the concerns of executives from Convergys, the biggest call center operation in the Philippines, and Everything Everywhere, one of Britain’s largest telecommunications provider with 28 million subscribers, who called on President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday, said presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.

Lacierda said the British company was “very bullish” about the Philippines and was setting up shop here and would be hiring workers as well as middle management.

“And since this is a British BPO, there’s also a need for the Filipinos to be trained in the British accent, which we are not familiar with,” Lacierda said.

For instance, Filipinos use “ma’am” as a polite way of addressing a woman over the phone, he said.

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New teachers training strategy launched in Leyte

MANILA, May 19, 2011—The Foundation for Upgrading the Standard of Education (FUSE) conducted an intensive five-day training program in Palompon, Leyte, for teachers in Physics, Chemistry, English, Mathematics and Elementary School Science in partnership with legislative and administration offices in Leyte.

Eleven teacher trainers from FUSE trained at least 42 teachers for each of the five subjects, with focus on subject matter content for 45 hours at the Palompon North Central School.

The focus on content is in line with FUSE’s new strategy in its teachers’ training program. While before FUSE concentrated on improving teachers’ competence through teaching methods and approaches, now it is focusing on enhancing and making up to date teachers’ knowledge of a given subject or syllabus.

The new strategy was prompted by the growth in knowledge and the change in certain material which teachers have to be aware of and competent about. Thus besides the methods and strategies that enhance student learning, FUSE is helping improve teaching by developing the content knowledge of teachers as both are essential.

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3-year moratorium on new law schools to start next school year

CEBU CITY, May 18, 2011 (PNA)—A resolution passed by the Legal Education Board last year declaring a three-year moratorium on the opening of new law schools will take effect this school year, according to the Commission on Higher Education (Ched).

The board said the “proliferation of law schools has been identified as one of the causes of poor quality of legal education in this country.”

It said it will need the three-year period to inspect and monitor the performances of existing law schools in the country and to focus on the introduction of reform measures in the legal education system.

As for the moratorium on five courses in all public and private universities and colleges, it is still in effect.

The courses are nursing, business administration, teacher education and hotel and restaurant management.

Ched said it wants to up hold the equality of education and performance in licensure examinations.

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Philippine education department hiring 13,000 teachers this coming school year

MANILA, May 5, 2011—The Department of Education announced on Thursday its plan to hire up to 13,000 teachers to partially fill a shortage of some 50,000 teaching staff in the coming school year.

“Based on our 2011 allocations, we are hiring more than 10,000 permanent teachers based on the budget. Maybe we can include a few thousands more,” Education Secretary Armin Luistro said on Thursday.

“So maybe there will be 13,000 new teachers going into classrooms before June or within the month of June,” Luistro said.

The official made the announcement on the sidelines of an education conference of officials from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao at the Ateneo Professional Schools in at Rockwell, Makati City.

During the conference, local government officials and regional educational officials set programs to attain education targets in the coming years, particularly preventing dropouts and bringing out-of-school youth back to schooling.

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Opportunities abound in Philippines for engineering, agricultural courses

CEBU CITY, May 12, 2011 (PNA) – An official of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) 7 on Tuesday urged incoming college students to consider pursuing degrees in engineering and agriculture.

CHED 7 Assistant Director Candelario Aytona said graduates of engineering, particularly mechanical engineering and electronics, will have plenty of job opportunities “with the advent of robotics.”

Aytona, speaking at a forum organized by the Association of Government Information Officers 7, said the country also needs graduates of agriculture, adding that the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos can provide training to students of agriculture.

Aytona pointed out there is an existing moratorium on the offering of new programs in business administration, nursing, teacher education, hotel and restaurant management and information technology.

”These disciplines are already saturated,” he said, adding that there is high supply of these programs’ graduates but demand for them is now low.

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US-based BPO to open 1,000-seat center in Taguig City

MANILA, May 6, 2011 (GMANews)—A US-based business process outsourcing (BPO) firm will soon open a 1,000-seat facility in Taguig City to satisfy growing demand by clients who want to be serviced from the Philippines.

In a statement, CustomerContactChannels (C3) said it would occupy a facility at the Bonifacio e-Services Building in Taguig City to expand in the region.

“This expansion is particularly exciting for us as we move into Bonifacio Global City, a relatively new area of Manila that offers an excellent environment for our employees and management alike," said Rick Ferry, C3 president and chief operating officer.
C3 said it would start hiring agents this month for its energy and utilities, financial services, health care, hospitality and travel, media, and telecommunications accounts.

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Summit to be held on basic education concerns in Western Visayas

ILOILO CITY, May 7 (PNA) – The Regional Development Council (RDC) and the Social Development Committee (SDC) will hold an education summit sometime in August or September this year to look into the problems besetting the basic education sector.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) regional director Ro-Ann Bacal admitted that Western Visayas is “among the lower performing regions in terms of achievement rate.”

She disclosed that eight out of the identified 20 schools divisions nationwide that are not performing well are from Western Visayas; seven are from Negros Occidental and one from Roxas City.

“We cannot allow that to happen and there are a number of things that we really have to look into in the education sector,” she said.

Prior the summit there will be a pre-consultation workshop, according to Bacal, for the “substantial discussion of the issue” to be done in June.

The regional mean percentage score of the overall performance of Western Visayas in the elementary was pegged at 62 percent and 46 percent for the secondary out of 100 points in the 2008-2009 results.

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New English test plan faces backlash

May 27, 2011—The government’s plan to include English speaking and writing ability tests in the national college entrance exam has stoked worries that it will add fuel to the nation’s already red-hot craze for English education.

The Education Ministry on Thursday unveiled a draft plan to introduce a new English aptitude test that will replace the English portion of the standardized college entrance exam, known as the College Scholastic Ability Test, starting in 2015 at the earliest. Currently the CSAT only tests reading and listening skills in the language.

The ministry’s plan is to start administering the National English Aptitude Test from 2012 and have it used as reference material in the rolling admission to universities from the following year.

A trial version of the envisioned NEAT took place at a school in Seoul on Friday.

Some parents and teachers, however, worry it will only drive more students to private institutes, or language courses overseas. It would be very hard for students to achieve the level of speaking and writing skills in the current public school system, they say.

Students sit a trial version of the National English Aptitude Test, currently under development, at a school in southern Seoul on Friday. (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald)

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White Box brightens future of expatriate theater

May 17, 2011—Expat theater-lovers in Korea no longer have to suffer noisy drinking holes while enjoying plays thanks to a new English-language venue in Seoul.

Until now, poor access to theater spaces meant actors were often obliged to deliver lines against background clatter from cashiers and glasses in busy bars-turned-stages.

But White Box Theatre has just opened as Seoul’s first exclusive English-language performance space to save thespians’ strained throats.

White Box founder, Desiree Munro, opened the venue to overcome difficulties she faced when seeking stages for productions by her own award-winning company, Probationary Theatre.

“I had quite a lot of frustration,” she told the Korea Herald. “It is very hard for foreigners to break into the theater scene in Korea.

A scene from last year’s production of “10 Reasons not to go Home,” at the RUF Project in Itaewon. The play will be performed this weekend at the White Box Theater. (Probationary Theatre)

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English language threatens Arabic

DUBAI, May 22, 2011—English is taking over the world, says English teacher Patricia Ryan Abu Wardeh. And its status as a global language comes at the expense of other languages, she argues.

After 30 years of teaching her native language in the Gulf, Abu Wardeh has come to the conclusion that while English is an important language, its status as a global language is overshadowing other languages, including Arabic.

These sentiments have built up over the years she has been teaching, but she has never made them public until given the opportunity by Technology, Entertainment, Design's, (TED) Dubai affiliate, TEDxDubai.

Abu Wardeh, who works at a university in the UAE, presented her ideas at a Dubai TEDx event. Her presentation is one of the few such talks in Dubai that has been posted on the global TED website.

Her views gave way to a debate. Most people welcomed them but there was some strong opposition.

"The idea evolved over several years of teaching English and doing specialised assessments. I've seen so much change in that it has become an absolute must to have a high standard of general English to be able to enter any decent university," she said.

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Three English tests added for Australia student visa applicants

MELBOURNE, May 23 (PTI)—Australia has announced to add three alternative English language proficiency tests for student visa applicants, providing candidates with greater choice.

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Chris Bowen has announced the US-based TOEFL and two other English language competency tests, apart from the existing International English Language Testing System, will be expanded for use by applicants from all countries.

Apart from Test of English as a Foreign Language, Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) and Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) from Cambridge ESOL will shortly be added to the IELTS for student visa purposes as specified in the Migration Regulations 1994, the department said in a statement.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) said it was anticipated that these new tests will be accepted for student visa applications later this year.

In Australia, currently, students from key markets, such as India, had to furnish an IELTS score as proof of English proficiency to qualify for a student visa. Globally, IELTS is owned by Cambridge University, IDP and the British Council.

"We have given careful consideration when selecting these three English language test providers to ensure that high standards of integrity are maintained and that test score results are appropriately safeguarded," Bowen said.

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Australia to welcome students with Cambridge English

Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen MP, has announced that the Cambridge English Advanced exam (also known as Certificate in Advanced English, CAE) will be recognized for Australian student visas. The new rules give students who want to study in Australia the opportunity to use this high quality, secure international qualification to prove that they have the language skills they need for academic success. Previously, IELTS was the main English language test accepted by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) for Australian visa purposes.

"I am very pleased Cambridge has been chosen as one of the new English test providers and I am confident they will provide a valuable service to student visa applicants," Mr. Bowen said.

Cambridge English Advanced is taken in 110 countries around the world and recognized by more than 2,800 organizations - including nearly 50 Australian universities and colleges. It is also accepted by almost all UK universities as well as the UK's Border Agency for student visas.
This means that students with a Cambridge English Advanced qualification can now use their certificate to study in Australia, UK and beyond. The exam is run by Cambridge ESOL, the department of Cambridge University which also produces the IELTS tests. It has been taken by hundreds of thousands of students since 1991.

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Alternative English tests added for Australian student visa applicants

May 20, 2011—Student visa applicants will be able to use the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) US-based testing for English language competency, Australian Immigration minister Chris Bowen announced today.

Student visa applicants will now be able to use the TOEFL test to provide evidence of their English language ability.

The move by the Australian government to allow student visa applicants to use the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test when demonstrating English language ability is one that will be of interest to anyone looking to apply for skilled Australia immigration.

One of the changes to the skilled immigration application process that is set to be implemented on 1 July with the new Australian points test is that all skilled migrants will be required to take an English language test. Under existing rules, only test results from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are permitted and applicants are only required to take it if they need to demonstrate competency in English or are using the test to obtain further points.

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Language center employee admits bribe charges in English exam

May 13, 2011—The man at the centre of Curtin University's English competency test scam has pleaded guilty to bribery charges.

Kok Keith Low, who worked at the university's English Language Centre, pleaded guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court  today to 14 counts of bribery and one count of agreeing to obtain or seek a bribe as a public officer.

Low is the seventh of eight men to plead guilty to bribery charges.

Western Australia's Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) charged the men over allegations that English test scores were falsified at Curtin University to help international students obtain visas and residency in Australia.

Applicants for permanent residency and work or student visas must prove their competence under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which is relied upon by the Department of Immigration.

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Lingo may put nurses and midwives in limbo

May 8, 2011—A review of the English language requirement for nurses and midwives has left students in limbo and may exclude competent people from the workforce capable of practicing safely, experts say.

Under national rules, nurses must score at least 7 at one sitting in four components of the International English Language Testing System to be registered to practice.

Yet Joanne Gray, president of the NSW branch of the Australian College of Midwives and a member of its national midwifery education standards advisory committee, said the standard was too onerous. ''It's a crude measure that is preventing us mobilizing our workforce as effectively as we could,'' Dr Gray said.

She said English language skills were essential. ''The bottom line is safety … Communication is key to what we do.''

But Dr Gray said it was hard to achieve a 7 (on a scale of 1 to 9) in all subjects on the same day, and repeated testing could undermine safety by delaying new graduates' entry into the workforce and prevent them from applying newly learnt skills.

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Australian-born drivers say English-language tests for drivers unwarranted

May 12, 2011—New English tests introduced for would-be taxi drivers have offended Australian-born applicants who say they should not have to pay for a certificate to prove they can speak their own language.

Queensland Transport and Main Roads introduced the English assessment last November in response to the Workplace Ombudsman's report, which made 56 recommendations to reform the taxi industry.

It requires all applicants to complete a $90 online test provided by the Central Queensland Institute of TAFE, regardless of nationality.

The assessment is a new national standard being introduced Australia-wide.

Since its introduction in Queensland, 869 people have undertaken the assessment with one in six (186) failing.

Queensland Taxi Advisers Incorporated spokesman John Rahilly said a "commonsense approach" was needed for the test's delivery.

"I think it's ridiculous that English-speaking drivers have to sit the test, and there are no exemptions," he said.

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Free English language course for Sochi residents

MOSCOW, May 26, 2011—Starting from June 1, English language will be taught in almost all the educational institutions in Sochi, in preparation for the 2014 winter Olympic Games in the city. All the inhabitants of Sochi who wish to interact with visitors to the city for the Games, including the sportsmen and women and their supporting staff, are invited to enroll in a free English language crash course, which has already taken off in some schools.

Diplomas and certificates will not be awarded to those who complete the two-month course. The crash language course is being organized as part of the efforts to  enlist the participation of the residents in the preparations for the winter Games. The course will enable every inhabitant of Sochi to become a volunteer and a first face, as it were, that the foreign visitor will see.

“The free language course is the first of its kind in Russia, and any resident in Sochi, irrespective of gender, age and social status can acquire a smattering of the English language for a  day to day interaction with  foreigners”, says Irina Lukasheva, head of the Sochi Education Management Section. She spoke in an interview for VOR.

"Groups will consist of 10-15 people each, and the programme is  to last for 20 hours, with a timetable of two  lessons a week  in the second half of the day, which is convenient  for all," Lukasheva said.

Among the main subjects to be taught are “spoken English”, making acquaintance, self-introduction, talking about the city’s sights and  offering help  to a visitor (direction giving and so on).

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Over 100 teachers attend young learners TESOL conference

May 22, 2011—Over 100 teachers and teacher trainers from all over Malaysia participated in Lorna Whiston Study Centres Malaysia’s first International Young Learners TESOL (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) Conference in Kuala Lumpur recently.

The one-day conference, themed “Language Alive: Creative Approaches to Language Teaching”, saw international educators and industry experts sharing ways to tap into students’ creativity as a means of motivating students and helping them become more effective communicators.

The conference featured a host of varied sessions such as teaching debate skills, vocabulary, public speaking and creative writing; encouraging creative thinking among young children; and managing the classroom.

Lorna Whiston Malaysia head teacher Marianne Dark said the conference aimed to promote the importance of creativity in the classroom as well as to provide a platform for educators to share good practices.

“We believe that children learn best when they are relaxed and enjoying themselves in a child-centred, interactive environment,” she said.

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Teachers’ union, parents against weekend English classes

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16, 2011—The Education Ministry’s proposal to have weekend classes and tuition for students who have trouble with the English language was met with strong objection from teachers and parents yesterday.

While acknowledging that students’ mastery of the language was lacking, National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) president Hashim Adnan said having weekend classes was not the answer.

Instead, he proposed that additional English lessons be held during school days and retired English language teachers be roped in to help with teaching.

“Having classes during weekends will only burden the teachers and students. It is not a solution,” he said yesterday.

The New Sunday Times reported that the move was being considered following the effectiveness of school programmes to improve the teaching and learning of the language…

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English ma fail, Board ma fail

AHMEDABAD, May 27, 2011—The decision to make English compulsory has brought down the pass percentage of class XII general stream. Students with English as second language had the lowest passing rate with 82.77 per cent clearing the paper, which is down by 10 per cent compared to last year.

The board this year had increased the passing marks in English from 20 to 33 bringing it at par with other subjects and a record number of 17 per cent students failed to clear the English paper, bringing the overall result down. Of the 3.84 lakh students 66,163 students failed to clear English, which is the highest failure in any one subject.

Despite the lackluster performance, the board on Thursday announced that English would be made compulsory even for the students taking their examination in vocational courses also.

Officials said that from March 2012 not a single student appearing for his HSC examination would be permitted to write his examination without English as one of the subjects. He said with the decision to have English as compulsory for vocational courses also, the subject has been made compulsory for all disciplines.

However, officials said that the decision to have English compulsory was taken only with the intention to prepare the students for competitive examinations.

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Foreign language option at secondary school level may go

PANAJI, May 27, 2011—Uncertainty was the only constant among state authorities on Thursday as they prepared to implement the new policy of grants to English medium primary schools with Konkani or Marathi as a compulsory subject from Class I to X.

The four-member committee constituted to monitor and implement the policy will meet next week. The first decision will be taken on the class from which Konkani/Marathi should begin as a compulsory subject in English medium schools from the year 2011-12.

A circular on implementation of the new policy will be issued to schools after the committee meets, even as schools are set to open in the next ten days. A day after the state government declared its new policy there was no clarity on whether the switch over to English at the primary level will take place from Class I or in all of the four elementary classes from 2011-12.

The four-member committee is likely to deliberate on this too. A crucial decision to be taken is whether French, Portuguese and other foreign languages as the optional third language from Class VIII to X will continue or not. The new policy makes it mandatory for schools to teach either Konkani or Marathi up to Class X. With English as first language and Hindi as second language, the policy allows either Konkani or Marathi to be offered as third language, and foreign languages will have to be left out as four languages cannot be accommodated.

Sources said Indian languages like Sanskrit might be permitted to continue in some schools from Class VIII to X as an option along with Konkani and Marathi…

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Now, you need to know English to land a teacher’s job

AHMEDABAD, May 10, 2011—A minimum knowledge of English will be a must for candidates seeking jobs as a principal or teacher in secondary and higher secondary schools in Gujarat. The Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) introduced by the state education department from July 2011 will have a 25 and 30 mark component to test the English language skills of principals and teachers respectively.

The education department on Sunday said that the TET paper for principals would be of 150 marks of which there would be a compulsary 25-mark component on English language. For the secondary and higher secondary teachers, the TET will consist of two papers, one of 150 marks and the other of 100 marks.

The English component for teachers would be of 30 marks. This component will aim to test teachers on their basic knowledge of English language, including simple grammar, translation to English, spellings, error correction and word formation. The candidates will also be required to answer questions based on pictures in English. It needs mention here that the candidates will be required to score a minimum 50 per cent marks in the TET to be eligible

The first exam of TET will be held in July end or August. Candidates can take as many exams to improve their scores.

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English a stumbling block for Gujarat nurses going abroad
 
AHMEDABAD, May 12, 2011—Most potential Florence Nightingales from Gujarat cannot make it to the foreign land. Blame it on the language barrier. From about 5,000 professionally trained nurses that the state churns out every year, only a slender 10% actually make it to their dream destination due to lack of command over English.

The number of nurses going abroad from the state has gone down by 50% during last couple of years as the English language requirement has become stricter.

About five years ago with an average score of 5.5 bands in IELTS (an English language proficiency test), a nursing diploma holder could manage to meet registration requirements of UK, New Zealand, Australia and Canada nursing councils. However, now aspirants are required to score about 6.5 to 7 bands.

Dr Sudhir Shah, an immigration advocate said, “The lack of command over English is a major barrier in Gujarat. The outflow of nurses has increased manifold from other states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.”

The demand for trained nurses has risen in developed countries.

“However, nurses from the state fail to meet the professional requirements set by these countries,” said an educational consultant, Raghuvirsingh Khushuwah who conducts an English language course in the city along with an institute from New Zealand for nurses who want to go abroad.

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Tis Hazari judges have to use Hindi

NEW DELHI, May 15, 2011—Hindi may be the national language, but the judges still swear by Queen's English. As the judges continue to use English for their judicial work, they have now been directed to use Hindi in the day-to-day work.

The judges will now be required to make all the inter-official communication in Hindi so that it is understood by all the employees. A committee has also been formed to see if the directives are being followed.

In a recent circular issued to the Tis Hazari district court, the district judge has directed the judges to have all official orders "communicated" in Hindi. The court has also deputed nine judges to ensure that orders are followed and "national language Hindi is promoted" by such activities.

For long, district courts have been trying to promote the use of Hindi as a language in judicial work. According to sources, the committee has also launched a Hindi website for judges where they can express their views in the national language.

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“Mission possible” to teach the police English

NEW DELHI, May 1, 2011—Till a few weeks back they could not correctly pronounce everyday English words. But after a mere five days of training in the language at Delhi's Police Training College (PTC), the trainers were correcting their seniors while speaking in English.

Many of the trainers at the PTC, some of them nearing retirement, could not speak the language continuously for even two minutes, but were training thousands of policemen over the years. But the scene changed ever since the man from Hyderabad started his mission.

A group of 40 trainers—out of the total strength of 500 at the PTC—were coached by Munawar Zama from Hyderabad, who took upon the job on the advice of India Islamic Culture Centre (IICC) president Sirajuddin Qureshi.

Qureshi had felt that Delhi, being a global city, must have its police force well articulated in English and he suggested the task to Zama.

The first phase of the training concluded last week and the second would commence soon. Divided into two phases—English pronunciation and communication skills including grammar—the classes were held between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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250 English language teacher posts to be cut

May 20, 2011—The Department of Education has told schools it is to cut the number of English Language Teachers by 250 from September.

That is double the cut that schools had expected.

A Department spokesperson said the number had been doubled to enable the system to comply with the Employment Control Framework, which restricts numbers working in the public sector.
The move will affect primary schools most.

The Irish National Teachers' Organisation has said the decision is another attack on disadvantaged and marginalised children.

The INTO also said the decision flew in the face the Government's commitment to improve literacy standards in schools.

An OECD report last year found a dramatic fall in literacy standards in Irish schools.
English language teachers are employed in schools to help children from International backgrounds who cannot speak English or whose English is too weak to enable them to thrive in the classroom.

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Wales “Book of the Year 2011” shortlist unveiled

May 19, 2011—A poetry collection, travel novel and sci-fi story are among the works shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year.

The English-language titles are What the Water Gave Me by Pascale Petit, Cloud Road by John Harrison and Alastair Reynolds's Terminal World.

On the Welsh-language list are Caersaint by Angharad Price, Lladd Duw by Dewi Prysor and Bydoedd by Ned Thomas.

The winners in each language will be announced on 7 July in Cardiff.

Literature Wales announced the 2011 shortlist in Caernarfon and Cardiff.

The three titles that made it to the shortlist claimed their place there because they were pitch perfect from start to finish”

Francesca Rhydderch, chair of the English-language judges' panel said: "Whittling the long list down from ten to a shortlist of three was no easy task. Each of the ten books on the longlist was wonderful and unique, in our opinion…”

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No niche that’s too specialist for skilled English language teachers

May 10, 2011—The language of accountancy is the focus of the latest English for specific purposes (ESP) test offered by LCCI. The UK-based exam provider predicts that its new English for Accounting test will generate about 15,000 registrations in its first year, to add to the 150,000 takers who LCCI says sit its range of financial English tests annually.

"We have discovered that English for finance qualifications available to customers are too broad," said Katarzyna Pawlak, LCCI's education development executive. She claims there is demand is for "a narrow-angle, more specific English for finance qualification". This is not the only niche sector LCCI have in their sights. "We are thinking of other areas such as English for engineering, logistics and the oil industry," said Pawlak. "We're definitely thinking of expanding our ESP offer."

This move towards greater customisation of tests to meet the requirements of specific groups of learners could have benefits for teachers. According to Evan Frendo, chief examiner for LCCI, this could be a good time for teachers to make the transition into ESP. "The testing market already is massive and really pushes the way English teaching goes," he said.

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New York town ordered to scrap English-only ordinance

NEW YORK, May 19, 2011—New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman ordered the upstate town of Jackson to "immediately" overturn a local ordinance that made English the town's official language, warning that the statute is "illegal" and "discriminatory."

The ordinance, which prohibits public officials in Jackson from speaking or writing in any language but English while they are carrying out their official duties, will be voted on once again by the town council on June 1 because of the intervention by the state AG's office.

Schneiderman's office on April 27 sent a letter to Jackson Town Supervisor Alan Brown warning that the ordinance violates the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause, federal and local statutes, as well as the right to freedom of expression for public employees and all people who visit the town or work in it.

The town council met on May 4 to prepare the agenda that its members will discuss on June 1 and the ordinance was put on the list of issues to be dealt with at that time.

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English-learners test results show slight change

CALIFORNIA, May 16, 2011—Santa Clara County students who took this year’s California English Language Development Test, or CELDT, edged ahead of the state average on performance but fell slightly when compared with the county’s scores from last year.

The CELDT test is given annually to students identified as English learners until the student passes into a zone that reclassifies them as fluent in English. The test assesses listening, speaking, reading and writing for students from kindergarten through grade 12. Scores are reported on five performance levels—beginning being the lowest level to advanced on the higher spectrum—and students are considered proficient in English once they attain an overall rating of early advanced or better.

A 2 percent drop was seen in the county’s students who performed at the early advanced level from 32 percent to 30 percent, and the number at the advanced level dropped from 12 percent to 10 percent.

A fairly significant “achievement gap” was also found among county test takers, the Santa Clara County Office of Education reports, with less than a third of Spanish-speaking students scoring as proficient, while proficiency among students of other primary languages ranged from 46 percent for Filipino to 67 percent for Mandarin.

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English learners in California schools slip

CALIFORNIA, May 12, 2011—The percentage of English learners scoring at advanced performance levels in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties has gone down, according to a report by the state Department of Education.

The California English Language Test results released this week also shows the state's students have not gained any percentage points in language proficiency from the 2009-10 to 2010-11 school year.

The test assesses the English-language proficiency of students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

In kindergarten and first grade, it tests their listening and speaking skills. In grades 2-12, students are tested on their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

Students were tested last fall.

In San Bernardino County, 8percent of students scored at the advanced performance level, down 2percentage points from the 2009-10 school year.

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Every high school student should learn a second language, says MLA president
By Cynthia Haven, Stanford University News

May 6, 2011—All high school students should be fluent in a language other than English, and it's a matter of national urgency. So says Russell Berman—and as president of the Modern Language Association (MLA), his opinion carries some clout.

"To worry about globalization without supporting a big increase in language learning is laughable," the Stanford humanities professor wrote in this summer's MLA newsletter, in an article outlining the agenda for his presidency.

In conversation, he is just as emphatic, calling for "a national commitment to ramping up the quality of education."

"Budget attacks on language programs from the Republicans and Democrats are just the contemporary form of a xenophobia that suggests we don't need languages – and it's deeply, deeply misguided."

Berman noted that "barely a dozen states require any foreign language study to graduate from high school."

"You can't expect that we can eliminate language, eliminate the arts, dumb down history and English and have intelligent achievers come out of secondary schools," he said.

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Ministry to enlist help of foreign firms to teach English

JEDDAH, May 5, 2011 (Arab News)—The Education Ministry will enlist the help of international companies to teach English at government schools after the Cabinet decided on Monday to start English language studies at Grade IV, said Naif Al-Roumi, deputy minister for planning and development.

“We have so far received three applications from specialized international companies to support the ministry in implementing its English language program for government schools,” he said.

On Monday, the Council of Ministers approved starting English language education at government primary schools from Grade IV from the next academic year (2011-12).

“It will be a basic subject and follow the same criteria as other subjects,” a Cabinet statement said, urging school authorities to appoint qualified staff to teach the language.

Al-Roumi said the teaching of English at an early stage would have a great impact on students in learning the various sciences and developing their innovation skills. “It will also help transfer our knowledge to other communities and speed up propagation of Islam,” he said.

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Ministry to enlist help of foreign firms to teach English

JEDDAH, May 5, 2011 (Arab News)—The Education Ministry will enlist the help of international companies to teach English at government schools after the Cabinet decided on Monday to start English language studies at Grade IV, said Naif Al-Roumi, deputy minister for planning and development.

“We have so far received three applications from specialized international companies to support the ministry in implementing its English language program for government schools,” he said.

On Monday, the Council of Ministers approved starting English language education at government primary schools from Grade IV from the next academic year (2011-12).

“It will be a basic subject and follow the same criteria as other subjects,” a Cabinet statement said, urging school authorities to appoint qualified staff to teach the language.

Al-Roumi said the teaching of English at an early stage would have a great impact on students in learning the various sciences and developing their innovation skills. “It will also help transfer our knowledge to other communities and speed up propagation of Islam,” he said.

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English language studies to begin from Grade IV

RIYADH, May 3, 12011—English language education at government primary schools will start from Grade IV from the next academic year (2011-12) after the Council of Ministers chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah approved the plan on Monday.

“It will be a basic subject and follow the same criteria as other subjects,” a Cabinet statement said, urging school authorities to appoint qualified staff to teach the language.

“A special panel including representatives from the Ministry of Education and English language experts will make sure the language is taught by qualified teachers,” Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said, explaining the Cabinet decision.

The Cabinet urged the Education Ministry to make proposals to teach English language in classes lower than Grade IV if it was prepared.

Earlier, King Abdullah briefed the ministers on the outcome of his talks with Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and the content of a message he sent to Muhammad Tantawi, chairman of the Supreme Military Council in Egypt, while highlighting the deep-rooted relations between the two countries.

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No required bilingual education for Beijing kindergartens

BEIJING, May 17, 2011(China Daily)—A proposal to have every Beijing kindergarten running English language classes by 2015 has now been scrapped.

A draft work plan to improve the capital's international language environment last July had stated all preschools would be required to offer bilingual education within the next five years.

However, in the final version, the provision has now been removed.

It seems many mothers of young children are not too bothered and say they don’t want their children burdened with extra classes and homework at such a young age.

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GED Plus team helps new recruits to read and write English

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas—When Mohammed Fuwad Hossain decided to serve in the National Guard, he had two obstacles in his way; a limited knowledge of reading and writing in English and no high school diploma.

Hossain moved with his father, mother and three brothers to Detroit in 2003 from the capital city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He attended middle school, and nearly completed high school when personal and family issues forced him to drop out of school and find employment.

At age 17, Hossain took a job with Cargill Meat Solutions in Schuyler, Neb., as a meat packer. After seven months on the line, Hossain decided to try to go back to high school, but was beyond the maximum age to reenter. Instead, he took his high school transcripts and convinced admissions to admit him as a student at Central Community College.

After completing a year of classes, Hossain wanted to become an engineer and pondered how he would pay his way through college. His father struggled to support his family in Detroit as a taxi cab driver and he knew he would have to find another way…

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Maltese language hardly used on the Internet

BRUSSELS, May 16, 2011—The very limited use of the Maltese language online is a major setback to the mother tongue even if there seems to be a strong desire for more websites in the vernacular.

According to a survey released in Brussels, only 6.5 per cent of Maltese internet users choose to browse, read and communicate in Maltese. The overwhelming majority, 91 per cent, would rather use English both when browsing from home or at work.

The survey shows that Maltese internet users are the highest users of English within the EU, after the British.

Besides the regular use of the English language, 20 per cent of Maltese internet users said they also frequently used Italian to browse or communicate and another 3.4 per cent resorted to French.

The Eurobarometer survey, conducted in Malta by Misco last January among a scientifically selected sample of 523 people, shows that, despite the common use of English on the net, many would still prefer to see more websites in Maltese.

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British Council offering help to English language beginners in Georgian

May 17, 2011—On May 12, with the support of the British Council, the conference “English Language and International Qualification – the Road to the Future” was held. The conference was aimed at introducing English language and international exams programs of the British Council to the policy makers of the education field, English language teachers and service providers.

The conference was chaired by Lloyd Anderson, British Council Director. Doug McMillan, Deputy Head of Mission, and Nodar Surguladze, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, all gave welcoming speeches.

In his official speech at the UN General Assembly in 2010, President Mikheil Saakashvili presented an ambitious programme for English, “to make sure that the doors for our future generation are open”. In September 2011, it is proposed to issue a Ministerial decree, making it mandatory for all higher education students to hold a foreign language proficiency certificate.

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Spain’s job seekers flock back to class

MADRID, May 8, 2011 (AFP)—Spain’s economic downturn is sending jobless workers flocking back to school to learn other languages—mainly English—to boost their appeal to employers, providing a boon for language academies.

With an unemployment rate of over 21 per cent, the highest in Europe, many of those with a job are also brushing up their languages skills in the hope that this will help them keep it or lead to a more secure position.

“The deeper the crisis, the stronger people’s desire to develop their skills,” said Antonio Murillo Isidoro, 37, the director of expansion at English Connection which runs Spain’s largest network of English language schools.

English Connection plans to open 20 new schools this year, bringing the total to 36. Over the next five years it plans to open a total of 100 schools.

Other private language schools are also growing as is the popularity of going abroad for a short period to learn to speak another language.

About 150,000 Spaniards travelled abroad to study a language, mostly English, last year, up from 105,000 in 2006 before the start of the economic slump, according to Spanish Association of Promoters of Courses Abroad.

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Government, businesses seek to further spoken English in Turkey
By NURDAN TABAK, TodaysZaman.com

ISTANBUL, May 15, 2011—Students practice their spoken English by studying in small groups and having conversations in English.

Spoken English skills are fairly poor in Turkey in comparison to other non-English speaking nations, and the growing need for Turks to develop their spoken English has been acknowledged by the government and the business world alike.

Overhearing people speaking in broken English and having pamphlets of various English teaching centers forced on them by promoters in the street is becoming increasingly common in the lives of many İstanbulites. More than ever in Turkey, people are becoming more eager to learn and speak English. This growing importance placed on spoken English is linked to both direct bureaucratic policies and the changing views of civil society.

Undoubtedly, there is a whole range of factors that have contributed to the recent growing importance of spoken English. Turkey’s increasing cultural role, economic power and globalization are all leading factors. The country is also now avoiding isolationist policies and focusing on opening up to the world, which in turn makes fluency in the English language all the more important.

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A call to defend Urdu against English language onslaught

LAHORE, May 16, 2011—Renowned writer and novelist Abdullah Hussain has urged for combating the onslaught of English language that could reduce Urdu into just a mere dialect.

Hussain made the call while presiding over the second session, titled “100 years of Urdu Novel,” of the ongoing three-day International Literary & Cultural Conference at Al Hamra Arts Council, The Mall on Sunday.

Abdullah Hussain warned that there was a need to seriously look into the issue of English language’s onslaught in our society since Urdu writers and speakers were turning towards English for the money it brings. He emphasized the need to combat this onslaught seriously.

Renowned writers and scholars including Shamim Hanfi, Dr Anwar Ahmad, Mubeen Mirza and Abbass Rizvi presented research papers in this session. Javed Qureshi, Hamid Ali Khan, Islam Shah and Azam Khan shed light on the topic of “The Future of Ghazal singing in Pakistan.” Renowned singer Ghulam Ali presided over the abovementioned session.

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Suspicion blocks Iran's ELT promise
By Jack Kirkby (pseudonym), Guardian Weekly

May 10, 2011—Three years after it withdrew from Iran in the face of "intimidation and harassment", the British Council, Britain's government-sponsored education and cultural promotion agency, is hoping to encourage the UK's English language teaching sector to engage with a regime that maintains a tight grip on education but that is under pressure from a population with a growing appetite for English language skills.

Last month the Council hosted a one-day event at its London headquarters that brought together a group of ELT specialists from Iran with teacher trainers, publishers, testers and language schools based in the UK.

But the challenges of doing business in Iran were brought into sharp focus on the day. Delegates asked not to be identified because any link with the Council, which continues to be viewed with the utmost suspicion, could have damaging repercussions.

Described by Anne Wiseman, the Council's director of Iran projects, as "a sharing of ideas", the event did provide an insight into the complex barriers that Iran presents for ELT exporters, but also the potential of the sector.

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NHK has grand design for English education
By Yuki Senda, Yomiuri Shimbun

May 5, 2011—NHK has just launched a "grand design project" for its English-learning programs, with the ultimate goal of offering learners of all ages a consistent approach to studying the language.

The impetus for the project was the launch of compulsory English at primary schools this month, while an increasing number of Japanese companies have been making English their official language.

With the new project, NHK is hoping to help learners develop skills to express themselves effectively in English, rather than merely grappling with grammar issues.

Pre-kiso Eigo (6:50 p.m. Saturdays, NHK-E) is the first of the project's new shows. The program targets primary school students, with the name indicating that it is a primer for NHK's Kiso Eigo (basic English) radio programs, which are mainly for middle school students.

Pre-kiso Eigo offers children a visual world tour with scenes of many other countries, providing glimpses into other cultures.

"The program is like a quiz show with questions coming from overseas," says Mizuto Tanaka, deputy chief of the language-learning department at NHK Educational, an affiliate specialized in producing educational programs for the public broadcaster.

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