Page 15 - ELG1601 Feb Issue 433

ELmiddle east supplement
February 2016 Page 15
higher education project Laser – a weapon for peace

he
Union’s
European
Tfor Syrian refugees is being
implemented by the British Coun-
cil in Jordan, Lebanon, and – if Joseph Field on an EU/British Council project to help the prospects of Syrian refugees
possible – Syria. Known as Lan-
guage and Academic Skills and
e-Learning Resources (Laser), it capacity of refugees living in ‘The first time I cried,’ she
provides English, French, Ger- host communities will benefit says. ‘I was reading paragraphs
man and academic preparation for them in the present. ‘In Za’atari written by my new students. The
3,100 eighteen-to-thirty-year-old we need to learn English assignment was to write about
Syrian and Jordanian students in because the foreign groups come your dream job. Every single
host communities affected by the to the camp and there are a lot student wrote about using their
Syrian crisis. of opportunities,’ says Ahmad, a education and experience to help
In addition, Laser will also long-term camp resident. other people.
provide access and support for In addition, providing oppor- ‘Finance majors wrote about
accredited online higher edu- tunities for engaging young running workshops for people
cation courses for around 350 people in meaningful and stimu- to learn how to save money and
students who have performed lating ways will help to prevent invest so that they would never
well or who have shown high radicalisation and the lure of face poverty again. Pharmacists
levels of motivation in the participating in the ongoing wrote about conducting clinics
language and academic skills regional conflict. in remote places so that every
courses. As some of these stu- This project will help those person had access to the medica-
dents will have had some prior students it targets to reintegrate tions they need. Teachers wrote
experience of higher education, into the education system by about education being the most
this opportunity will enable providing them with language important way to open people’s
these learners to continue their training, academic readiness minds and combat discrimina-
education and build on what Courtesy British Council Jordan skills, coaching and distance tion. Everyone wrote about
they have already achieved. education programmes. It also going home and making their
Access to Moocs (Massive aims to help displaced Syrians country stronger.’
Open Online Courses) in Ara- who cannot access – or who have The language programmes
bic and in English will also be dropped out of – formal educa- that the British Council is facili-
provided for at least 400 stu- NEW BEGINNINGS The Laser project in Jordan has reached over 3,000 of the country’s Syrian refugees tion because of the crisis to find tating in Jordan are challenging
dents who have completed the new opportunities to continue and exciting for both students
language courses. While those Darren Shanhan. ‘Then put them crisis in Syria began. The contin- Syrians in Jordan live in refugee their higher education in Syria and teachers, but they’re only a
who have the language skills all in one room, and that’s what uing and widespread violence has camps. Za’atari is the oldest and or neighbouring countries. Most first step. They are a way to build
can continue their studies online these classes are like.’ led to the displacement of large largest of these, while a second important for the participants, knowledge, working habits and
in English, French and German, Commenting on the project, numbers of Syrians both inside camp – Azraq – was set up in though more founded on hope self-esteem that will hopefully
Arabic-language Moocs may be Joel Bubbers, British Council and outside the country – threat- 2014. The remainder of Jordan’s than current events, is the time lead the participants through fur-
the preferred option for many director Syria, says, ‘Students ening to destabilise the region Syrian population lives outside when they will return to Syria. ther study to new beginnings in a
learners who wish to develop of this age – 18–30 – are often as a whole. Out of 10.8 million refugee camps in the urban and Robyn Stewart was one of the re-imagined post-conflict Syria. n
skills and continue learning. overlooked by the refugee Syrians inside the country need- rural areas of northern and cen- first teachers to begin working
Courses in Jordan began in response, but are still in great ing humanitarian assistance, tral Jordan. with the refugees, at a com- Joseph Field is senior
September 2015, delivered in need of support. Through this 6.5 million are internally dis- The region’s capacity to munity-based organisation in project manager at
partner premises in the capital project, the British Council is placed. More than three million respond to and withstand the Amman. British Council Jordan
Amman and the refugee camp helping to address the educa- more people have left Syria to Syrian crisis is being severely
at Za’atari (close to Mafraq, in tional needs of many young and live in increasingly difficult cir- tested. Pressure on public ser-
the north of the country), and vulnerable people by support- cumstances in the neighbouring vices, including education, has
then Mafraq and the nearby city ing their reintegration back into countries of Lebanon, Jordan, increased the numbers of local
of Irbid. They average a hundred education. This work is of added Iraq, Turkey and Egypt. people who do not have the
hours in length, usually deliv- importance as it is also sup- Displaced Syrians in Jordan means or the access to higher
ered twice weekly in four-hour porting the Jordanian education now represent almost 10 per cent education opportunities in their
sessions. Classes are large, and system by meeting the require- of the population of six million. own countries.
students are keen. ments of those displaced by the This has placed enormous strain Why this solution? Although
‘Think of the best student in conflict in Syria.’ on already scarce resources. the current situation seems
each of your classes,’ says teacher It is now four years since the Around a fifth of displaced bleak, developing the long-term

Is Ilep our best hope for ELT?

Marketing English in Ireland’s CEO David O’Grady asks if there will
be a happy ending to the country’s long-running accreditation drama

everal years ago the Irish seek accreditation. (A window Because new ELT providers holy grail of a single quality
government, in a rare was briefly opened the end of had no way of gaining accredi- mark for all providers for inter-
Sdrive for housekeeping 2013 to process those already in tation, or because they had been national students.
and tidiness, decided to rid us of the pipeline when the old body unsuccessful during the window Acels is for providers, Ilep is
a lot of quangos, and great merg- closed). The routine inspection opened at the end of 2013, a few for programmes. Ilep is to be
ing took place. One of the areas of schools also ceased. How- providers took out a High Court the new way of controlling who
where this happened was in the ever, inspections took place of case against the Department of can attract visa-requiring inter-
sphere of education. already accredited schools if Justice and Acels. The judge- national students and how they
Hitherto there had been four there was new ownership, new ment was delivered in January can do it. Ilep is not a quality
oversight or regulatory bodies management or new premises, 2015 and the defendants lost. assurance vehicle, but a mecha-
– for universities, higher edu- or if there were complaints about The judgement stated that nism which aims to guarantee
cation, further education and the school. it was wrong to have only one that international students get a
ELT, last called Acels (Advisory An unintended result of all this route to accreditation, since that fair deal. It is a creature of the Accredited private
Council for English Language is that UK operators who wish to accrediting body was closed, Department of Justice, not the
Schools). The plan was to open in Ireland now have no alter- and it further said that that the Department of Education, so language school
merge all these and have one native but to acquire an already accrediting body (Acels) did not it has unfettered oversight of
super-quango, at first called the accredited school. They can’t set have a statutory basis (despite the visa-requiring segment of for sale in Dublin.
National Qualifications Author- up and seek accreditation. the 2012 legislation) and was the ELT sector. Ilep is lavishly
ity of Ireland (NQAI). Meanwhile, throughout this merely voluntary. (A bit like the inclusive and only time will tell
Following the introduction of period there was turmoil in the Native Irish Honeybee Society, if it succeeds in its aim of tidying
legislation in 2012 the NQAI ELT sector because of perceived only not as dynamic.) up the ELT sector.
morphed into Quality & Quali- abuses of regulations regarding The Department of Justice We started and finished Please contact
fications Ireland (QQI), which the concession to work for inter- was then tasked with intro- with the aim of tidiness, and
carries on the functions of the national students. The alleged ducing an alternative route to in between there have been languageschool2016@gmail.com
former four oversight bodies. abuses were largely occurring accreditation. Just one year on enough surprises and shock to
This merging is still ongoing, outside the accredited sector, from the High Court finding please all Restoration drama
and the Acels brand has been though there was some conta- against them the Department buffs – hidden cameras, a for further information.
maintained within QQI until gion within. of Justice published its Interim gallery of rogues, weeping
the merging is complete. How- Over a period of two years List of Eligible Programmes marching students, High Court
ever, although staffed by public seventeen organisations dealing (Ilep) – ‘interim’ because it is judgements, shafted authority
servants, the new Acels never with international students, three on the way to the introduction figures, outraged educators …
opened, remaining closed to of them from the accredited sec- of the International Education and the unanswered question:
new providers who wished to tor, closed. Mark (IEM), which is QQI’s will there be a happy ending? n