Page 4 - ELG1601 Jun Issue 437

Page 4 ELlanguage news June 2016

Convicted: Sussex

host family father...

A British man who hosted ernment office, but none has led the carer’s home. the informa-
foreign students for ten years to a prosecution. in the Us a tion given by the provider in the
has been sentenced to six and spate of highly publicised cases DBs application forms part of a
half years in prison for sexual involving volunteers hosting legal declaration.
offences involving children. foreign exchange students led All three of the bodies which
Alan haldane, 62, a builder from to a change in the law mandat- inspect language schools in the
hastings in sussex on the south ing criminal record checks on UK require the main carer of
coast of England, admitted to all families used by programmes the host family to be vetted, and
sixteen offences including using run by the state Department. specify that best practice is to
a hidden video camera to take since 2015 British carers paid use question 66 to obtain infor-
indecent images of French and for hosting students are tak- mation on all family members.
German students in the shower. ing part in a regulated activity, the British Council, which runs
haldane was also found guilty of and the main carer – normally the largest inspection scheme,
the sexual abuse of three British the woman – must be vetted by told the Gazette, ‘there’s noth-
girls aged between three and ten. the Disclosure and Barring ser- ing we take more seriously than
the Paedophile On-Line vice (DBs). there is no legal child protection. in 2015 we
investigation team (Polit) of requirement for schools or other updated our guidance notes to
sussex Police say that images providers to vet other members make providers aware that cor-
of up to fifteen different foreign of a host family. however, ques- rect completion of question 66
students were found on hal- tion 66 of the DBs application on the DBs application form
dane’s computer. ‘We believe form for providers gives them extends the checking process for
there would have been many the option to do so by confirming home-stay hosts to all adults in
more,’ Polit’s Dave sharpe said. that the activity will take place at the household.’ n
‘however, there were no com-
plaints lodged by the students
and i am certain that none of ... and Kiwi counterpart Reuters
the students had any idea what
was happening. the language Iran’s leaders divided by English
schools concerned have been thE FAthEr of a host family she escaped by locking
contacted.’ has been jailed for 21 months herself in the lavatory and tex-
the haldane case may be the in new Zealand for indecently ting classmates from the same The spread of English in Iran and its status in the country has led to supreme
first conviction for abuse of a assaulting a Japanese student English exchange programme, leader Ali Khamenei and moderate president Hassan Rouhani to express
host family member in the UK, within six hours of her arrival in organised by Waikato Univer- ‘differing viewpoints’ on the status of English in the Islamic Republic, according
according to Gazette records. in the country. Philippe Masei, 46, sity. One of them alerted the to Al Monitor news agency.
the last twenty years the paper was found guilty of groping the police. sentencing Masei, the In a speech to Iranian teachers in early May, Khamenei (pictured in framed
has received only three other fifteen-year-old girl and trying judge said the girl had been photo at left) described the current ‘promotion’ of English in Iranian schools –
credible reports of such abuse, to remove her clothes while his ‘heavily traumatised by the including in some kindergartens – as an example of a scheme by an ‘international
including one from a local gov- wife was out at church. experience’. n hegemonic system’ which he said was led by the US, Israel and other ‘hostile’
nations. The plot envisaged by Khamenei had ‘designs to change the culture of
Iran’s youth into one that is not Islamic and indigenous’, he was quoted as
saying. He clarified that he was not opposed to learning foreign languages, only
to its effect on ‘children, adolescents and youth’.
Rouhani (above, waving – he and Khamenei are rarely seen together) referred to
Khamenei’s comments in a speech two days later, noting that Iranians learning
‘other languages of the world’ has ‘opened a new window of science, knowledge
and understanding of the world to them’. He gave the example of India’s success
in the global IT sector thanks to its command of English, adding that learning
languages will ‘create more jobs’.
Al Monitor reported that ‘conservative media’ and Iranian officials appeared to
support Khamenei’s view, criticising Rouhani’s ‘simplistic assumptions’ about
language learning. Conservative member of parliament Mohammad Nabavian
denounced Rouhani as influenced by the ‘consultations of the Westoxified’, those
‘struck’ or intoxicated by the West, where many of the Cabinet went to university.

Maltese ELT seeks

VAT exemptions

ANdREA PéREz VAt exemptions that exist in cent. UK homestays and stu-
writes other destinations on tuition and dent accommodation arranged
services – as well as simplified by course providers on a not-
MALtA’s EnGLish language and more efficient procedures for-profit basis aren’t liable for
providers have called for VAt when it comes to issuing of visas VAt either.
(sales tax) exemptions to make – can give the sector a much- Malta is the seventh most
the country’s language school needed competitive base.’ popular destination for ELt
sector more competitive, the Malta has a competitive dis- students, after the Us, UK,
Malta Independent reported. advantage with VAt applied Australia, Canada, ireland and
the call, from the Federation to language travel services. in new Zealand. in 2015 spending
of English Language teaching Malta students pay 7 per cent by ELt students in the country
Organisation of Malta (Feltom), VAt on language courses and was €161 million – according to
followed the latest figures from 18 per cent VAt on all ‘services’ Deloitte, this is 9.8 per cent of
the industry: a 2.6 per cent drop (such as travel and accommoda- total annual tourism spending in
in English language students in tion), while ‘in the UK no VAt Malta, icef monitor reported.
2015. Malta’s largest European is levied, and this already makes the figures spell bad news for
market, italy, saw a reduction it more competitive’, Feltom’s Malta but good news for other
of 2,123 students compared to spokesman said. ELt destinations such as ireland.
2014, and other markets such as the UK removed VAt on Enrolment of ELt students in
russia and Libya suffered due to language school courses in the that country increased 10 per cent
‘instability’. 1980s, and they are VAt-exempt in 2015 and student weeks were
English language schools in ireland too. But travel and up by 38 per cent, according
should prepare for a ‘tough sum- accommodation remain fully to accredited language schools
mer as the weak (pound) sterling vatable in both ireland and association Marketing English in
and favourable tax rates continue the UK – 20 per cent in the ireland. iCEF Monitor data has
in the United Kingdom’, Feltom UK and 23 per cent in ireland, Europe as ireland’s main market,
CEO Genevieve Abela told the where ‘hotel accommodation’ with italy and spain as the top-
Independent. ‘More favourable has a reduced rate of 13.5 per sending countries. n

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