Page 4 - ELG1601 Oct Issue 440

Page 4 ELlanguage news October 2016

EduSA launches visa Canadian

lawsuit to save market college

cuts link

CLAUDIA CIVININI are hoping for an interim inter- their studies’. Meanwhile, aLGoNqUiN CoLLeGe,
writes dict allowing for our students ‘asian markets such as south a public-sector university in
to get study visas immediately Korea and China,’ whose eng- ontario, Canada, announced in
New visa regulations in south … whether any school closes lish language students in south august that it was pulling out of
africa could threaten the sur- or not will depend on the length africa are almost exclusively its partnership with algonquin
vival of the eLT industry in the of time it takes for us to get a on long-term courses requiring College saudi arabia at Jazan
country. student visas are now positive result.’ if this comes visas, ‘have practically been Men’s College near the saudi
issued only for students enroll- this year ‘then hopefully we will wiped out.’ border with Yemen.
ing at ‘learning institutions’ not be faced with further school University-based language an announcement on algon-
– universities, further education closures’. schools are unaffected – their quin’s website cited the need for
colleges and schools. accredita- sub-saharan africa is the accreditations ‘fall under their the university to meet its ‘finan-
tion held by english language most affected region, with parent university’, but they’ve cial objectives’, adding that ‘after
schools is deemed insufficient. nationals from angola, Congo, still experienced a drop in more than a year of negotiations’
students from most euro- ivory Coast, Gabon and else- numbers, such has been the the decision had been taken to
pean and some Latin american where attracted by the generally reputational damage across transfer the Jazan campus opera-
countries can go to south africa higher standard of tertiary edu- all sectors of the south afri- tion to its saudi partners, the
for up to ninety days without a cation in south africa. These can english language teaching Colleges of excellence network.
visa, but this doesn’t apply to ‘usually take part in an english industry inflicted by the new algonquin has absorbed costs of
all source markets. The coun- language course prior to their regulations, says Borges. He Courtesy ETEA Local 9 at least Ca$4.3 million (£2.5m)
try’s eLT industry also relies on studies, and many of our lan- adds that some ‘language travel from the venture, which began in
students enrolling in long-term guage schools depend on these agencies feel that visas have 2009, with a focus on english lan-
programmes. markets for the majority of their become a complicated issue for guage teaching, study skills and
Two language schools have income’. But nationals of sub- south africa and would rather the training of electrical engineers.
already closed down, and saharan nations are unable to focus their attention to other Strike-hit school shuts Jazan had similar problems to
many others are laying off secure long-term study visas for locations. The visa has defi- other unsuccessful joint ventures
staff. Language school asso- south africa under the current nitely become an issue for all The Vancouver English Centre (VEC) language with the Colleges of excellence
ciation education south africa immigration regime. markets, not only those directly school closed suddenly at the end of August, in – there simply wasn’t enough
(edusa) has initiated a court Many schools have taken a affected by visa restrictions.’ the fourth week of a strike by teachers’ union ETEA demand from saudi students for
action to challenge the south number of Libyan scholarship There’s also the ‘inconsistent’ 9 over low pay. Classes for 600 VEC students were courses often on campuses far from
african government and poli- students, particularly for avia- visa advice issued by south replaced with excursions during the strike. Many population centres and in the middle
cymakers’ failure to allow for tion english. saudi arabia is africa’s embassies abroad. students demanded refunds, while some (above) of the desert. The UK public-sector
students enrolling in english another ‘strong long-term mar- students seeking to study at a showed support for their teachers on picket lines. Fe institution Lincoln, Newark &
language programmes. ket’, but recently some saudi south african language school Language schools association Languages Gainsborough College, for exam-
Torrique Borges, vice-chair of nationals ‘have even been forced ‘even for a short period … are Canada found VEC students places at the ple, recently terminated a Colleges
edusa and executive manager to fly back to saudi arabia to sometimes being discouraged Canadian College of English Language and other of excellence partnership in the al-
at LaL Cape Town language renew their visas before return- to do so’ by south african local member schools following VEC’s collapse. aflaj region of saudi arabia, citing
school, told the Gazette that ‘we ing to south africa to continue embassy staff. n ‘recruitment problems’. n

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