BPO firm to give English refresher courses to teachers

June 22, 2011—An information technology and business process outsourcing (BPO) company is investing on a project focusing on training school teachers on the English language to help students improve their English proficiency.

Romit Gupta, country general manager of Wipro BPO Philippines Ltd., said the firm had partnered with the Department of Education in Central Visayas to implement the project, which they called the “Communication Excellence for Public Education (CEPE).”

Gupta and DepEd-7 Director Recaredo Borgonia signed the agreement yesterday.

“We believe that with good teachers we can produce good students who will be readily absorbed by the industries that will need them like the BPO industry,” Gupta said.

He said the project would help public school teachers brush up on the English language especially on the critical areas often mistaken by Filipinos, like subject-verb agreements, redundancy and “Filipinoisms” such as the phrase “in fairness.”

“We have already conducted trainings to two batches with a total of 60 students in May and we have seen early improvements, which only show the potential for the project to take on a better shape than what it has now,” Rupta said.

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Some foreign students decide to make Philippines their home
By Candice Montenegro, GMA News

June 20, 2011—Sara Toh, 25, has not seen her parents in the last two years. Sara has not been home since she left South Korea in 2009 to study in the Philippines.

"I miss them and I want to go home, but I'm actually enjoying my stay here," she said.

She said she went to the Philippines to study English because she wanted to supplement the English course that she already took in South Korea.

"I knew that Filipinos are better English speakers, so I thought it would benefit me to study the language here," she told GMA News Online.

After finishing a year-long course in English proficiency, she decided to stay in Manila and try her luck at finding a job. She is now working as an executive assistant in a multinational business process outsourcing company.

Sara is only one of many South Korean nationals who come to the country to learn English. The South Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade estimates that there were over 115,000 Koreans in the Philippines as of 2009.

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US envoy cites advantage of English proficiency

DAVAO CITY, June 16, 2011—US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas Jr. said Thursday that the Job Enabling English Proficiency (Jeep) project will raise the quality of seafarers in Mindanao and the Philippines in general.

Thomas, who is in Davao City Thursday for the assessment of US Agency for International Development's (USAid) Jeep project implemented by the Growth for Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program at the Davao Merchant Marine Academy (DMMA), said that since professionals around the world become more competitive, it is an advantage for Filipino workers, especially seafarers, to be more equipped with the English language.

Thomas said English proficient seafarers have broader chances of getting better employment and advancement in their work.

"We think that it is the key reason for you to get a better work in the future," Harry said, adding that if students are more proficient with the English language, chances are, good works await them.

The ambassador commended institutions all over Mindanao that adopted the Jeep project because this strengthens the job-related English skills of college students before graduation.

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Report says Philippines needs better teachers, bigger education budget
By Alexander Villafania, Yahoo Philippines  News

QUEZON CITY, June 13, 2011 (loQal.ph)—For education in the Philippines to be achieved, the education system must focus on developing the skills of teachers, a report by the Senate Economic Planning Office (SEPO) said.

In addition, the SEPO also recommends that the government should secure resources to ensure implementation of the K+12 program that the Department of Education (DepEd) is implementing.

The SEPO report “K to 12: The Key To Quality Education” was prepared by SEPO Staff Rocky Howard Yap and looks at the viability of extending the country's basic education from 10 years to 12 years (additional two years in high school), as well as adding kindergarten as a requirement prior to entry to Grade 1.

The report recognized that nearly all countries have adopted the 12-year basic education program, except for the Philippines. Only the African countries of Djibouti and Angola have retained their 10 years of basic education.

The premise for adopting to the extended number of years in basic education is due in fact to the need decongest the current curriculum that squeezes education within 10 years whereas other countries have stretched their curriculum with the additional two years.

Likewise, the additional two years should provide better skill sets for elementary and high school students who need to be prepared for their entry to higher education…

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Philippine schools lack more than 143,000 classrooms this year

MANILA, June 8, 2011—The Philippine public school system lacks 143,281 classrooms this year, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara said yesterday.

Angara, who chairs the House committee on technical and higher education, said the government plans to ease the severe classroom shortage by leasing 16,051 classrooms from private schools through tuition vouchers and by building 14,243 rooms.

However, the money for the construction of new classrooms was affected by the decision of the administration’s economic managers to tighten infrastructure spending in the first four months of the year, he said.

“Government disbursed only P34.8 billion for infrastructure, an amount that is 53 percent – or almost P40 billion – lower than what was spent during the same period last year and an anemic 14 percent of the current full-year program,” he said.

He added that the early passage of the 2011 budget in December 2010 should have given the government a head start in construction, which would have also allowed it to take advantage of the good construction weather in the first half of the year.

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500 Chinese students to start English classes in Davao school

DAVAO CITY, June 15, 2011 (PNA)—An initial 500 Chinese students are coming to Davao City in August, this year for an English study and tour program here.

I-Study Brainmaster, an institution that caters to foreign students, is partnering with the JIB e-Academy and Solutions based in this city, in providing ESL (English as a Second Language) lessons to beginners and those in advanced levels.

Joji Ilagan-Bian, owner of JIB e-Academy Solutions, noted the increasing number of Chinese adults and students who want to learn the English language.

Bian said in offering the ESL Program, JIB e-Academy and Solutions will expand its services to Chinese students wishing to undertake intensive study of the English language including listening, speaking, reading and writing.

The program will run for 12 months and will also have lessons in personality development, culture, and values formation.

She said the 12-month study program aims to teach students to communicate in a social setting, use English for the students’ academic preparations, use English socially and culturally, and pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam.

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High dollar gives language colleges reprieve
By John Ross, The Australian

June 22, 2011—The soaring dollar has handed a partial reprieve to the struggling English language college sector, as working holiday-makers decide potential earnings in Australia outweigh learning costs.

But the trend could spell trouble for higher education and vocational education and training, as some language colleges withdraw from pathway programs in favour of the leisure and general English courses that were their bread and butter a decade ago.

English Australia executive director Sue Blundell told a members' briefing in Sydney yesterday the dollar had stimulated enrolment growth from safe traditional markets in East Asia and Europe.

She said the number of short-term visitors to Australia had grown by about 20,000 between March and November last year, with working holiday-makers lured by the prospect of earning valuable Australian dollars.

This had played out into the ELICOS sector, with the number of students on visitor and working holiday visas growing by about 6000. ELICOS numbers grew by about 2500 from Japan, 1000 from Taiwan, 7000 from France, 400 from Switzerland and 300 each from Hong Kong and Italy. But the growth couldn't staunch the haemorrhage of enrolments from people on student visas.

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Taxi drivers hit language barrier

ADELAIDE, June 13, 2011—Fewer than half the people who try to become Adelaide taxi drivers pass a basic English language test.

And although they must hold an Australian driver's licence for at least six months before they apply, one in four fail a road theory test and one in three fail a driving practical test.

The previously secret State Government figures are in documents released under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents show that after studying and passing a test which examines their knowledge of Adelaide, only 49 per cent of candidates then pass the English tests.

The applicants - who on average have been in Australia for nine months - are allowed to sit the exam three times, with 86 per cent eventually passing after some coaching.

Taxi Council SA executive director Wally Sievers said the figures were proof that strict new measures to weed out bad applicants were working, but Family First MLC Robert Brokenshire said the industry was still rife with "horror stories".

"A lot of taxi drivers still say to me that even though there have been improvements, there are still problems in the industry," Mr. Brokenshire said.

"This industry is the gateway to the state... so it is incredibly important that they speak English, know where to go and how to get there safely."

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Koreans struggle to solve English quagmire

SEOUL, June 17, 2011 (Yonhap)—No English. No job. No future. At least that's what many Koreans believe these days, and they will do almost anything to improve their English skills.

Parents pour huge amounts of money into a bottomless English-craze pit, while students stay late into the night at private cram schools finding ways to hack the "terrible" TOEIC, as many here call the dreaded standardized English test.

"In many countries around the world, there is a push from governments, employers and parents to improve levels of English, but Korea probably tops the league table for anxiety about English proficiency," says David Graddol, a well-known British writer, broadcaster, lecturer and consultant on issues related to global English and educational trends.

The British Council commissioned Graddol to write two of his most famous works: The Future of English and its follow-up, English Next. Both books report on the global development of English as a world language.

He says that in Korea, "too much emphasis is placed on the power of English to transform people's lives."

Few countries in the world spend more time and money learning English. According to a 2006 study by the Samsung Economic Research Institute, Koreans spend around US$15 billion per year on private English education. That's more money than the gross domestic product, or GDP, of Laos, Jamaica or Iceland.

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Top universities use reputations to run pricey English camps

June 13, 2011—"It`s so expensive even if the university`s name value is considered," a mother of two daughters said who planned to send them, one in middle school and the other in elementary school, to an English-language summer camp run by a Korean university.

She gave up, however, due to expensive tuition of a combined 6 million won (5,540 U.S. dollars) for a three-month program.

"Certain English camps in the Philippines with the same schedule cost less than 3 million won (2,770 dollars)," she said, adding, "It`s unpleasant to see domestic universities apparently encourage expensive private education."

In the run-up to summer vacation, major universities in Seoul are recruiting elementary, middle and high school students for English camps. Such programs are so popular among parents that the universities hold briefing sessions on them. Certain parents even have a far-fetched expectation that such programs will help their children enter a given university.

The problem is the cost of a camp can exceed 1 million won (923 dollars) per month. Tuition is 3.1 million won (2,862 dollars) at the 19-day Sogang English Workshop run by Sogang University¡¯s English education center SLP. Native English speakers and Korean teachers will give lectures in the program that begins July 25.

I-Oedae, an English education company under Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, will open the 2011 I-Oedae Summer English Camp for students in fifth and sixth grade and seventh and eighth grade from July 22 through Aug. 10. The program costs 2.94 million won (2,714 dollars) per student.

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Thai students “must learn languages”

June 20, 2011—Thai students have been urged to improve their English and also learn a third language so they can compete with people from other Southeast Asian nations when the region becomes a single economic community of more than 600 million people in 2015.

Sakkarin Niyomsilpa, a demographic expert at Mahidol University's Institute for Population and Social Research (IPSR), said Thailand's weakness was its language limitations, especially in English. He said Filipino labourers could speak better English than Thais, giving them a much better chance of getting hired in other countries.

It was now time for Thai students to improve their English and learn a third language such as Vietnamese, Bahasa, Japanese or Korean, he added.

Mr. Sakkarin said if the education system and students paid no attention to language improvement, Thailand might lose its competitive edge to Vietnam as many Vietnamese could now speak English or even Thai.

He recently addressed an IPSR seminar entitled "A Turning Point For The Thai Population; A Turning Point For Thai Society" that discussed the kingdom's situation as it prepares for the launch of the Asean Community.

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Record 1million pupils speak English as a second language
By Graeme Paton, Telegraph.co.uk

June 22, 2011—A record one-in-six pupils in primary schools and one-in-eight in secondary education speak another language at home, it was disclosed.

The proportion of children starting school with a relatively poor grasp of English has now doubled in just over a decade.

In some parts of London, as many as three-quarters of pupils speak other languages, according to figures.

The disclosure comes despite concerns over cuts in funding to teach pupils with English as a second language. A ring-fenced grant set aside to boost language skills among foreign pupils was abolished by the Coalition, with money now devolved to local councils to spend as they see fit.
But head teachers’ leaders claim this has led to cash drying up in some areas as councils use the money to subsidise cuts to other services.

Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said funding had been “cut back quite extensively” by certain authorities.
“Support for these pupils is vitally important,” he said. “These children are just as able as other pupils but they’ll fail to access the curriculum if they are behind in literacy and linguistic skills.”

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English training stand-out explains the reason for his success

June 16, 2011—A leading private Chinese education institution is looking for overseas investment and capital injection to make it more competitive.

Yun Guanqiu, the chairman of the Beijing Talenty Education Institution, which runs Talenty English, explains it this way, "We expect more far-sighted investors or partners overseas to join us in a number of areas in English education, such as textbook publishing, multi-media teaching, human resources, and management."

Talenty, which will celebrate its 15th anniversary soon, has grown into one of the top names in private English education in China, with a special focus on children and teenagers.

It has won a number of awards, such as one of the Top 10 Competitive English Education Institutions, Most Valuable English Trainer for Primary School Students, and Most Satisfactory English Training Name in China.

Yun, who is 45 and a renowned figure in his field, added, "We'll never just sit there resting on our laurels, but will devote ourselves to being the most professional, best English training institution for children and teenagers, in China."

It is hardly surprising, in view of his group's success, that Yun himself has been praised, for example, for being one of Asia's Top 100 Innovative Celebrities, one of China's Outstanding Educators, and one of China's Management Talents, among other similar awards.

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China’s Sina to internationalize Weibo, launch English-language service

June 20, 2011—Sina Corporation announced plans earlier this month to invest in an English version of its micro-blogging service, Weibo, aimed generally at overseas users.

“We’re now developing an English-language microblog service, but there is no timetable to launch it,” Sina’s Spokesperson Mao Taotao told the China Daily. “The service is aimed at overseas users, but we don’t target users from a particular country.”

The program is reportedly still in the early development stages and Mao was unable to confirm whether or not the English version would constitute a new interface to the traditional Weibo service or if this would amount to a new service altogether.

The announcement also prompted questions as to whether or not Sina plans to position Weibo on the global stage as a direct competitor to similar English sites such as Twitter. Sina’s spokesperson dismissed such questions, while back in April the company’s chief executive, Charles Chao, suggested that such a move is not an immediate concern for the company and that if Weibo were to compete outside of China, it would likely be through foreign partnerships.

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Learning to speak English the Cantonese way
By Hong Liang , China Daily (HK Edition)

HONG KONG, June 10, 2011—Many Hong Kong parents, myself included, believe that it is best for their children to learn English from native-English speaking teachers. They send their children to expensive private schools with a high proportion of expatriate teachers from Britain, Australia and Canada. Some parents go a step further by insisting on nothing less than schools with curriculums for expatriate children.

Now, we are told that we may all be wrong. Learning to speak English from native English speaking teachers can inhibit, rather than facilitate, the use of the language, according to Andy Kirkpatrick, chair professor of English as a professional language at the Hong Kong Institute of Education.

Kirkpatrick's argument in favor of teaching English to Hong Kong students by multilingual teachers is likely to stir a storm of controversy among educators, and prompt many parents to rethink if it is worth the trouble and expense to send their children to these special schools. Speaking of his hypothesis, Kirkpatrick was quoted to have said: "It's a revolutionary shift that we're arguing for, and it's that the multilingual way becomes the linguistic model for teaching kids English, not that of a native English speaker."

The professor contends that most English speakers in Hong Kong are multilingual and therefore "the benchmark for children should come from successful multilinguals."

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Foreign entrepreneurs learn to thrive in Korea
By Niels Footman, Yonhap Features

SEOUL, June 15, 2011—Robert Taylor, an American entrepreneur living in Seoul, clearly remembers one of his earliest attempts to pitch his life coaching services to a marketing director at a big Korean firm.

"For 45 minutes, we sat there while he told me why my business wouldn't work," said Taylor. "He assured me that cold calling simply couldn't succeed in Korea, because everything is based on relationships."

Fortunately for Taylor, he decided not to heed the marketing man's words. Today, he says, his firm, One Amazing Life, has a growing clientele of both foreign and Korean business people for his classes on life coaching and presentation skills.

"I sold my car, my 401(k), and my wife and I had to move to a smaller place," said Taylor of the trials he faced in establishing his business. "So in January I decided to adopt this more aggressive pitch. It was a crazy idea, but it kind of worked."

Though Taylor's approach and business model may be unorthodox, his attitude toward naysayers is a common one among Korea's growing coterie of foreign entrepreneurs.

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Traditional approaches to English education should be changed, says minister

June 20, 2011—English language proficiency is considered one of the key elements in developing international competitiveness. Taiwan ranks 25 out of 44 non-native English speaking countries around the world, according to a study by English First, the world's largest private educational institution.

Despite the vast amounts of money spent by the government on English education, the ubiquitous presence of English cram schools and President Ma Ying-jou's pledge to increase the nation's international competitiveness, many college graduates in Taiwan still have difficulty having basic conversations in English despite over a decade of learning English.

Currently all third grade elementary school students and above have regular English classes on a weekly basis. According to the Ministry of Education (MOE), elementary schools can start teaching English from the first grade. However, most schools in Taiwan outside of Taipei and New Taipei have not introduced these programs due to limited resources.

According to the MOE's white paper on international education at local junior high and elementary schools, the ministry hopes to extend English language education to all elementary school students in Taiwan over the next decade. Wu said the ministry has commissioned the National Academy for Educational Research to study the appropriateness of this proposal, although currently there is no specific timeline for the implementation.

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MHA asks central offices, PSUs and banks to use local language

NEW DELHI, June 18, 2011—All central government offices, Public Sector Undertakings and banks across the country will now write sign-boards and name-plates in the 'second official language' as well, in addition to Hindi and English.

The home ministry taken the decision in order to give due prominence to the 'second official language', which is different in different states and Union Territories.

"The boards, sign-boards, name-plates and directional signs will be written/printed/inscribed/embossed in Hindi (the national language) first (in Hindi speaking states). The order of the other languages including English will be determined by the department concerned or the state concerned," said the home ministry in a statement.

The decision will, however, not affect the “order” in the non-Hindi speaking states. These states will continue to use regional languages, Hindi and English, in that order. The font sizes of the texts of all the languages will be of the same size.

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China’s news agency looking at Denver for English-language news hub

DENVER, Colorado, June 15, 2011—China's state-run news agency is considering Denver for a production facility and studio employing as many as 300 as it builds an international English- language news channel to eventually challenge CNN.

A delegation of six Chinese officials representing the CNC World channel visited Colorado on Sunday and Monday, meeting separately with Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor-elect Michael Hancock.

The delegation also is visiting New York and at least one other U.S. city during its trip, said David Thomson, director of global development for Colorado's Office of Economic Development and International Trade. The officials also met with representatives of Douglas County-based Dish Network.

"They're looking for a U.S. base to have a production facility and studio where they can be centrally located in the U.S.," Thomson said. "That's why they're considering Denver."

Hancock told The Denver Post that the Chinese officials told him the U.S. facility could employ 300 people. Thomson said the officials envisioned basing correspondents throughout the U.S., with the facility serving as a base of operations.

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Spanish-language media grows, engages communities

PUERTO RICO, June 15, 2011—Yesterday, President Obama traveled to Puerto Rico to connect with locals, and some analysts say to also gain support from Puerto Ricans living and voting on the mainland U.S.

The U.S. Census Bureau says the Hispanic population now tops 50 million. With the growth of this demographic comes the growth of Spanish-language media. Networks like Univision and Telemundo are seeing much higher ratings than some listeners may expect.

While traditional American newspapers are struggling, Spanish-language media is experiencing growth in circulation and competition.

The scope and influence of Hispanics are at issue during this week's 29th annual convention by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). One of the event's speakers is Monica Lozano, CEO of ImpreMedia, which is America's largest Spanish-language newspaper company.

Lozano notes that when it comes to ratings and readership, English-language media has been declining while Spanish-language media has been growing. She explains that with the diversity among America's Hispanic community, there are many ways of reaching out to them…

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Neoga native’s love of language leads him to teach
By Dawn Schabbing, Mattoon Journal-Gazette

NEOGA, Illinois, June 10, 2011—Andrew Eichel said becoming a teacher was in Plan B.

And as a teenager growing up in Neoga, he had no desire to live outside the United States or even travel outside the borders.

"I was quite mundane in this manner, very mid-western," he said.

But after an experience in a study abroad program and a little bit of fate, his plan changed when he was smitten by a Turkish girl, a fellow student at Eastern Illinois University.

Intending to follow her home, he needed a career to enable him to live in Turkey. The best fit was English as a Second Language.

"I wanted to be with her, and teaching ESL was the easiest way to make that a reality," Eichel, 27, said. "I quickly fell in love with teaching, though, and that's what made me decide to go to graduate school."

As a junior at EIU, groundwork for his career path came when he participated in an exchange student program in Holland for a semester.

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Legal threats force town to rescind English-only ordinance, sponsor says
By Elizabeth Llorente, Fox News Latino

June 1, 2011 (AP)—The sponsor of an English-only ordinance in a small New York town is bracing for the measure to be overturned by his fellow council members Wednesday.

Councilman Roger Meyer said the threat of legal action by the state Attorney General, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union, leaves Jackson Township little choice but to back off its determination to have the English-only law.

“I’m sure it will be voted down at the next meeting,” Meyer said, “because of the threats of the ACLU and the Attorney General.”

“We can’t afford a lawsuit, we’re just a very tiny town.”

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman recently ordered the town officials to overturn the ordinance, which bans public employes from speaking a language other than English in the course of their work and calls for all documents to be only in English.

Schneiderman said the ordinance is unconstitutional. He called the measure “illegal” and “discriminatory.”

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Rabindranath Maharaj wins Trillium Book Award

June 17, 2011—Trinidad-born novelist Rabindranath Maharaj has won Ontario’s $20,000 Trillium Book Award for The Amazing Absorbing Boy, named the best English-language book published by a citizen of the province in the past year.

Maharaj beat out five other finalists including Irish-Canadian novelist Emma Donoghue, author of the international bestseller Room.

Written largely in a doughnut shop in Ajax, Ontario, where Maharaj now lives, The Amazing Absorbing Boy is the deceptively simple story of a naive young immigrant set down on the streets of Toronto with no support apart from a resilient imagination anchored in the optimistic anti-reality of children’s comics.

Other finalists for the English-language fiction award included Michael Winter, nominated for The Death of Donna Whalen, and Toronto’s James Fitzgerald, whose nominated book, What Disturbs Our Blood, won the 2010 Writers’ Trust non-fiction award.

The same ceremony saw Ottawa novelist Estelle Beauchamp named winner of the Prix Trillium for Un souffle venu de loin, the story of a war-orphaned Gypsy girl growing up in Montreal…

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20-year-old national English daily awarded Independence Order

HA NOI, June 16, 2011—Viet Nam's only national English language daily, the Viet Nam News, has been awarded the Independence Order, third-class, today for its contributions to the country's information service for foreigners.

The noble award granted by the President of Viet Nam is a huge source of pride for more than 150 staff at the newspaper on the occasion of its 20th birthday (which falls on June 17).

Addressing a ceremony organised in Ha Noi to mark the newspaper's anniversary, Politburo member and Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Nguyen Xuan Phuc, said the Viet Nam News had been "one of the nation's effective channels of information for foreign readers" since its launch in June, 1991.

"During the past 20 years, the Viet Nam News has performed its function of disseminating the Party and State's policies well. It has provided timely and comprehensive information on the political, economic and social situation of Viet Nam and its people," said the Government official.

With the newspaper's incredible efforts in lifting its efficiency and expertise, the Viet Nam News daily and its monthly magazine Outlook, in both forms of print and electronic media, have won the confidence of expat readers and the overseas Vietnamese community.

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Few high schoolers fail English, but hit snag on Bahasa
By Nurfika Osman, The Jakarta Globe

JAKARTA, June 11, 2011—Far more high school students failed the Indonesian language test than the English test during last month’s national exams, the National Education Ministry revealed on Thursday.

According to ministry data, 1,786 of the 4,648 students who failed the exams did so after coming up short on the Indonesian language test, compared to just 152 who failed the English exam.

Fasli Djalal, the deputy education minister, said the results highlighted a “sad” downward trend in the average score for the Indonesian language exam over the past several years.

“This is due to the decrease in interest among students to read Indonesian,” he said.

He added students tended to dismiss the importance of studying the Indonesian language because they used it in their daily conversations.

“They think that it’s something they don’t need to study to be good at,” Fasli said.

“But language is like sports — the more you practice, the better you get. For Indonesian language, the more you read, the better you understand how to get the main idea of the texts, and the more creative you become in re-writing those ideas.”

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Thousands of children unable to make progress in three-Rs
By Graeme Paton, Telegraph.co.uk

June 9, 2011—Hundreds of thousands of pupils are gaining worse results in English and maths exams at 16 than in comparable tests taken at the age of 11, it was revealed.

Official data shows boys are lagging behind in both key subjects and the gap has widened since 2009.

In some parts of England, more than half of pupils are failing to make the progress expected of them in the basics at secondary school.

It is feared that many schools disproportionately focus on “borderline” pupils – those on the cusp of gaining a decent C grade at GCSE – at the expense of the very brightest or the worst performers.

Ministers insisted the pace of improvement in state schools was too slow, even though results were up on a year earlier.

Nick Gibb, the Schools Minister, said: “It’s not good enough that tens of thousands of children in English and maths are still falling short of expected progress. Children only get one chance at education and we know that the further behind pupils are at 11, the less likely they are to catch up…”

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Colleges in England’s south coast find new ways to teach English

June 9, 2011—Times are tough for the hundreds of English-language colleges that cluster along the south coast of England and stud the country’s university towns. Reforms to the student-visa system that are intended to help cut immigration are strangling the inflow of foreigners enrolling at them. But language entrepreneurs are finding alternative ways to meet the rising demand for tuition.

Students who visit English City (pictured), a language-teaching program, can chat to passers-by as they wander through the streets, meet their tutors’ avatars in virtual cafés and order snacks from Pebbles, an aspiring actress played by a teacher.

Shiv Rajendran, who founded LanguageLab, a London-based start-up that devised English City, says business is booming, albeit from a small base. He plans a tenfold increase in his 1,000-strong enrolment within a year. Englishtown, an older and bigger website owned by EF, a Swiss company, grew by 45% last year to 500,000 paying students. Bill Fisher, the site’s boss, says it aims to expand tenfold within five years. China is the biggest source of students for both.

Online language instructors are benefiting from recent changes to the immigration regime. Schools that recruit students from outside the European Union must now demonstrate their trustworthiness to the borders agency…

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New English requirements for student visas to UK set

June 9, 2011—Following the recent announcement of changes to the English language requirements for overseas students wishing to study in the UK, a document clarifying the rules has been published.

The document from the UK Border Agency sets out the details of the changes under Tier 4 of the points based system with requirements for students and sponsors.

It points out that students who wish to study at NQF/QCF level 6 (SCQF 9) and above normally need to produce a Secure English Language Test (SELT) certificate, from a UK Border Agency approved provider, showing that they have achieved level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR) in speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Students who wish to study between NQF/QCF levels 3 and 5 (SCQF 6-8) normally need to produce a SELT certificate, from a UK Border Agency approved provider, showing that they have achieved level B1 on the CEFR in each of the four components.

However, different rules apply to those students who wish to study at a higher education institution (HEI). At NQF/QCF 6 (SCQF 9) and above there is no requirement to produce a SELT certificate, the HEI can vouch on the conformation of acceptance for studies (CAS) that the student has attained B2 level on the CEFR in all four components.

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English lessons to be started in 70 rural schools

PUNE, June 14, 2011(TNN)—The education department of the Pune Zilla Parishad is all set to provide English language lessons in 70 of its schools—anganwadi and pre-primary categories—from the new academic year. The move, first in the history of the ZP, is aimed at providing lessons in Engish language to students in rural areas.

ZP vice-president and chairman of education board Arun Gire said, "This initiative aims to give the children in rural regions an opportunity to learn English. We expect each ZP member to take the initiative to commence English lessons in, at least, one school under his/her constituency."

Gire said the project is in the final stages of implementation. The teachers are undergoing a special training for the project. Students will learn basics, such as alphabets, and even behavioral skills. "In the initial stages, we will observe the students and their grasping ability," said Gire.

Children from lower income families often find it difficult to enroll themselves in English medium schools. This project will ensure that such students do not miss out on English lessons, said Gire.

The ZP has also initiated steps to upgrade toilet facilities, with separate blocks for girls and boys, in 500 schools in the district.

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Violent protests over English language

June 6, 2011—Road traffic has been paralysed in Goa since morning, as protesters have descended on roads to enforce the “Goa bandh” over state government's decision to grant recognition to English as a Medium of Instruction (MOI) in the primary schools. Goa government recently decided to recognise English as an MOI, alongwith Marathi and Konkani, and to give grants to English-medium schools.

But the decision has led to howls of protest, with the fear that it would undercut the vernacular-medium schools.

Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) has given a call for strike on Monday, which is supported by BJP, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), and Shiv Sena.

It is also backed by 67 institutions across the state.

Since morning, no buses could ply on the inter-city routes. A few buses were seen on city roads here, with a few passengers.

Most schools remained closed, though on Monday was the first day of the current academic year.

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English law in Russian business

June 15, 2011 (Moscow Times)—Numerous contracts and agreements in the Russian corporate world include English law provisions. An example of this is the shareholder agreement between BP and the Alfa-Access-Renova consortium, or AAR, covering their Russian oil producing joint venture, TNK-BP. The provisions of this shareholder agreement were central to a dispute between AAR and BP over BP's plans to establish an Arctic oil exploration and development joint venture with Rosneft and to conduct a $16 billion share swap.

The announcement of the joint venture and share swap plans between BP and Rosneft in early January with high-level government encouragement saw AAR seek redress, claiming that its rights under the TNK-BP shareholder agreement were being violated. AAR was granted an interim injunction in English courts, pending the outcome of a London-based Stockholm arbitration process, preventing BP and Rosneft from proceeding. The arbitration panel subsequently determined that the injunction should remain in place indefinitely, with the provisions of the shareholder agreement between BP and AAR over the operation of TNK-BP effectively preventing a tie-up between BP and Rosneft.

Subsequent discussions between BP, AAR and Rosneft, which continued to an extended deadline in May, failed to produce agreement on enabling the BP-Rosneft joint venture and share swap to proceed within the framework of the TNK-BP shareholder agreement, or over reported moves by BP and Rosneft to buy out the 50 percent AAR stake in TNK-BP to circumvent the TNK–BP shareholder agreement…

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Students lack confidence to use English
By Trung Hieu, Vietnam News

June 13, 2011—Many Vietnamese students face the common problem that although they spent six or seven years studying English at school, they can't pronounce an English sentence correctly, and they are not confident enough to communicate in the language.

Nguyen Duy, a former student at Nguyen Trai High School in Ha Noi, says he struggles to speak in English, even though he studied the language from sixth to 12th grade.

"I also studied English at a language centre, but I still found it hard to complete the intermediate course. Now I'm a university student, but the language is like my nemesis," he says.

Duy is not alone. Many young students only learn enough English to pass examinations, when in reality, they need to be able to communicate.

Wealthy families can afford to send their children to expensive centres with foreign teachers, but most students are still afraid to learn English.

Some students understand English grammar very well, and even score high marks in examinations, but their communication skills are very poor and they are often too shy to even attempt to strike up a conversation.

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Reshaping the British Council’s English language services
            
KATHMANDU, June 11, 2011—The British Council is reshaping its English Language Services in Nepal to ensure that a wider range of young people and teachers benefit from high-quality English products.

With hopes of providing better English language resources for teachers and students alike, the British Council will utilize partner organizations and will discontinue teaching at the British Council’s Lainchaur center. 

This decision will take effect from July 22.

“We’ve reviewed the ways in which we provide English language services in Nepal. We believe we can have a much greater impact by playing a more transformational role, encouraging a more widespread improvement in teaching standards and providing opportunities for young learners across Nepal,” says Director of the British Council, Robert Monro.

Along with the changes, the current and future initiatives include providing access for young Nepalis to a range of high-quality English learning products, partnering with media organizations, companies, and NGOs to ensure that Nepalis can build careers and learn English with British Council resources.

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Demand for English language teachers to rocket in Saudi Arabia

There has been resistance to the teaching of English in primary schools in Saudi Arabia but this appears to have been overcome with the recent announcement that the starting age for learning the language will be reduced from 11 to nine from the beginning of the next academic year.

The decision to begin lessons from grade four for both boys and girls was made at a meeting of the Saudi cabinet, chaired by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.  The cabinet also authorized the ministry of education to study the possibility of teaching the language from earlier grades.

Religious hardliners have opposed the introduction of English classes in primary schools, warning that it could undermine students' competency in Arabic and Islamic studies.

But the demands of an increasingly competitive job market have highlighted the need for language skills among school leavers and graduates, with educationalists arguing that an earlier start in English will improve outcomes.

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Saudi cabinet decrees earlier start for English

June 7, 2011—Long-standing resistance to the teaching of English in primary schools in Saudi Arabia appears to have been overcome with the announcement, made last month, that the starting age for learning the language will be reduced from 11 to nine from the beginning of the next academic year.

The decision to begin lesson from grade four for both boys and girls was made at a meeting of the Saudi cabinet, chaired by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz (pictured). The cabinet also authorised the ministry of education to study the possibility of teaching the language from earlier grades.

Religious hardliners have opposed the introduction of English classes in primary schools, warning that it could undermine students' competency in Arabic and Islamic studies.

But the demands of an increasingly competitive job market have highlighted the need for language skills among school leavers and graduates, with educationalists arguing that an earlier start in English will improve outcomes.

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Maids to get free language classes, then trained on vocational skills

ABU DHABI, June 5, 2011—Female workers like housemaids in the capital have a golden opportunity to learn English language and vocational skills free of cost thanks to the initiative of a community organization.

Indian Ladies Association (ILA) has launched "Women's Basic Literacy Programme" to teach housemaids English, Jonia Mathews, the honorary president of ILA, told Gulf News yesterday.

The programme will gradually include vocational training in stitching, embroidery, beauty treatments and others in future, she said.

Although the programme initially targets Indian female workers, it will gradually be open to all nationalities, Mathews said.

"We are spreading this message to housemaids in the beginning through our members. The classes will begin next week," she said.

She said many of the Indian housemaids coming to the UAE are uneducated so they are not aware of their rights and easily mislead by others.

A basic training in English will make their life more comfortable, Mathews said.

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Difficulties in learning English bother many
By Iman Srour, GulfToday.ae         

ABU DHABI, June 3, 2011—English is a language that links the world together. It plays a central role in aviation, engineering and computer communication.

It is also a gateway for information, which is the basis of progress and development, whether on an individual or a public level.

Today, many graduate courses require fluency in English. For many however, the language has to be learnt over a period of many years and the difficulty in learning concerns students, teachers and parents alike.

The reasons for difficulties in learning the language are different. Some people see the root of the problem in teachers who are not qualified enough.

Some say that an effective way to teach the language is when it is taught from an early stage, starting from kindergarten.

Others, however, think that learning becomes difficult when there is a lack of mental preparedness among students and not enough willpower to learn. Nevertheless, the problem is not confined to teachers or the subject only.

A number of consultants, school administrators and teachers told The Gulf Today that the Abu Dhabi Education Council is working on developing strategies that aim to enhance the four skills of students: Reading, writing, listening and speaking.

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Poor English skills: “Rot started in the 70s”
By Teoh El Sen, Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA, June 19, 2011—The lack of proficiency in the English language among the current crop of Malaysians does not come as a surprise at all to academicians.

They say the rot started when the medium of instruction was switched from English to Malay in the 1970s.

Malaysia was ranked third after Singapore and the Philippines in an English level assessment test conducted by online recruitment company Jobstreet.com.

Thailand and Indonesia came in fourth and fifth respectively.

“There has been a clear decline of English language proficiency over the past 20 years,” said an English lecturer with over 37 years of experience.

The lecturer, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the rot set in since the 1970s, when the medium of instruction was switched from English to BM.

“From then on, our children were less exposed to the language. Another reason is the lack of emphasis on English as it now not a compulsory subject to pass,” he said.

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Fun in the classroom

May 29, 2011—If you are running out of ideas to keep the students in your English Language classroom interested and involved in the lesson, you definitely should not miss the International Conference on English Language Teaching (ICELT) 2011.

The conference, organised by Universiti Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) Faculty of Educational Studies and supported by the Education Ministry, will be held from September 18 to 20 at the Swiss-Garden Golf Resort and Spa, Damai Laut, Perak.

It promises to be a one-of-its-kind conference for English language teachers focusing on infusing creativity, fun, and interesting activities into the teaching and learning experience.

Themed “Teaching English as a Performing Art”, ICELT 2011 will see a gathering of some of the world’s most renowned names in the performing arts and English language teaching.

Among the featured speakers will be Jan Blake, a leading storyteller who specialises in stories from Africa and the Caribbean.

Then there is much sought after performance poet Adisa, recipient of the Apples and Snakes New Performance Poet of the Year award. He has delivered his work all around the world, “from pub basements to Buckingham Palace”.

Modern-day court jester Vivian Gladwell, who lives and works in France, is another speaker you wouldn’t want to miss.

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Championing indigenous languages for children

LAGOS, June 4, 2011—The Director General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), Tunde Babawale, has called on the government to support and protect children in the society.

“Governments at all levels must faithfully implement legislations that protect the rights of the African child such as the Child Rights Act and African Charter on Human and People’s Rights,” he urged.

Mr Babawale made the call during the CBAAC organised International Children’s Day celebration at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos on Friday, May 27.

The relevance of children to the development of society underscored the CBAAC DG’s speech, as he noted that children “represent continuity as they link our today with our tomorrow and even the future.” This, he said, is one of the reasons why children are worth celebrating and investing in.

He continued, “Our interest and investments in children and youth programmes are also encouraged by the fact that children are malleable and can be shaped and turned into positive torch-bearers of society which can help in facilitating societal growth and development.”

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Maid hung herself after failing English entry test thrice

SINGAPORE, June 1, 2011 (AsiaOne)—A 26-year-old Indonesian maid tried to hang herself after failing her English-language entry test three times.

She is now in intensive care with brain damage.

The Straits Times reported that the maid, Ms Sulastri Wardyoyo, tried to hang herself at a maid hostel last Saturday.

According to staff at the hostel, she was allegedly depressed after failing her English-language entry tests.

Failing the test would mean she would have to leave the country, and pay back any loan taken.

The Straits Times reported that she may have taken more than $1,000 in loans to come here.

Ms Sulastri arrived early last week and was housed by employment agency Budget Maid in a maid hostel in the north.

All new maids have to clear the Foreign Worker Domestic Entry test within three days of their arrival, according to the Ministry of Manpower regulations.

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