Page 2 - ELG1601 Dec Issue 442

Page 2 ELworld news December 2016

New Centres of Excellence Getting a global perspective
Congratulations to all the new Centres of Excellence
who have made it through to the top 20 per cent of
schools in the UK, based on their British Council
inspection results. Special congratulations to ELC The Gazette editoral team’s selection of ELT news from around the world
Bristol for becoming only the second language school
in Britain to get a perfect score, putting them joint first
in our rankings with the Wimbledon School of English.
The other first is the emergence of Living Learning
English in Britain, the first teacher home-stay provider
to make it into the premier league. The International
House competition is hotting up, with IH Bristol scor- Namibia: ThE southern African EGYPT (QaTaR, KSa): NORTH KOREa: ArOuNd SaUDi aRabia: ThE uni-
ing 12 points, putting it at the top of the IH family, nation of Namibia has asked schools EGyPT’S new academic year a third of defectors who have versity of Jeddah announced in
and IH Aberdeen becoming the top-scoring school in if they need teachers from Nigeria, began without any Qatari or escaped from North Korea to November that its English Lan-
Scotland. Kaplan Oxford comes in with 13 points, the ‘especially in English, mathematics Saudi postgraduate students. start a new life in South Korea guage Institute (ELI) is to start
top score for its chain, EC Bristol also leads its sister and science’, and is also recruiting Both these Gulf states have and then go on to uni say they are offering ‘specialised diplomas
schools, while Regent Cambridge becomes the first ‘volunteers’ from Zimbabwe. ‘limited’ their flows of schol- considering taking time out from in teaching English’ as ‘part of
Regent school to make it into our top 20 per cent. New New Era newspaper revealed arship students to Egypt, university, or even dropping the university’s social respon-
College Group Manchester also makes it in. a leaked email telling schools according to Al Fanar news out. Some of these assimilat- sibility’. ELI dean dr Saeed
The top-end young learner specialists continue to pros- they were ‘urgently requested to agency. Qatar has even de- ing defectors, surveyed by the Aburuzaiza told the Saudi Gazette
per. The independent schools have two entries: Heathfield indicate whether there is a need recognised Egyptian degrees Korea development Institute, that English language learning
up at 12 points and International Community School, Lon- for … teachers’ provided via the obtained by its nationals, while were struggling with English and teaching were ‘particularly
don in with 9 points. The family-run providers continue to Nigerian Technical Assistance the Saudi Education Ministry to the point that they wanted to significant with the economic
shine, with the Barnard family at Manor Courses now lead- Cooperation. Namibia’s Ministry in August removed all Egyp- take a break from university to transformation of diversifying
ing the pack with 10 points, and International Student Club of Education permanent secretary tian institutions from its list of improve their English as they the economy and job creation’.
and Etherton Education also featuring. LSC Stanton’s Sanet Steenkamp told The Namib- approved universities. Al Fanar ‘cannot keep up with course It’s unclear whether this initiative
junior courses make it in on the first attempt, joined by ian of a nationwide shortage of cited a Saudi embassy source content’. is part of the national policy of
long-established multicentre provider Magnifico Travel. teachers – with some 2,000 vacan- as saying ‘the increasing num- The estimated 30,000 defec- ‘Saudisation’ – hiring expatriate
Finally, the state sector is ably represented by Brunel, cies, particularly in rural schools. A bers of forged masters and Phd tors have had hardly any EFL teachers only in the absence
now joint third university language centre and, for further final decision will be made in Jan- degrees from Egypt’ prompted exposure to English back in the of citizens to fill these jobs.
education, Henley College, Coventry. uary on whether Nigerians were the Kingdom’s decision. democratic republic, and most Labour minister Marfej al hag-
needed, with ‘preference … given arrive with ‘minimal’ English, bani told Al Riyadh newspaper in
NEW Centres of Excellence in blue to Namibian citizens’. A nation- according to Munhwa Ilbo. A summer 2016 there was ‘no stra-
REINSPECTED Centres of Excellence in black wide strike by Namibian teachers high proportion of South Kore- tegic target to reduce the number
over pay was settled in October. ans – around 80 per cent – go of working expatriates’. Gazette
ELC Bristol 15/15 The Zimbabwean reported that into tertiary education, for which sources report increasing dif-
Kaplan Oxford 13/15 some of Zimbabwe’s 2500 unem- they usually need some English. ficulty in recruiting expatriates
Heathfield Summer School 12/15 ployed teachers were ‘flocking’ CHiNa: A NEw English lan- to teach in the Kingdom, where
International House Bristol 12/15 to fill 2,000 Namibia teaching guage test will roll out nationwide lifestyles are restricted and most
Brunel University 10/15 posts. English is Namibia’s sole before 2020, the Chinese press salaries haven’t risen for many
International House Aberdeen 10/15 official language. reports. Vice-minister of educa- years.
Manor Courses 10/15 tion Lin huiqing, speaking at a
International Community School 9/15 language learning seminar, said
International Student Club 9/15 that more than a hundred Chinese RUSSia: NEw education min-
EC Bristol 8/15 and foreign linguists are currently ister Olga Vasilyeva has called a
New College Group Manchester 8/15 drafting the new test. The minister halt to a programme of mergers
Regent Cambridge 8/15 of education reportedly said that of the country’s higher educa-
Etherton Education 7/15 GHaNa: IN the run-up to the test is inspired by some ele- tion institutions. The mergers iNDia: PArENTS have held
Henley College, Coventry 7/15 presidential elections in the west ments from Ielts and Toeic. are part of the Federation’s day-long protests outside the
Living Learning English, Bristol 7/15 African nation of Ghana, the pres- The new test will be used as 60.5 billion rouble (£764 mil- English-medium hiranadani
LSC Stanton (summer junior courses and year-round ident’s chief of staff pledged that the standard and replace the lion) Project 5-100 to get five upscale School in suburban
groups), London 7/15 senior high school students would wide range currently offered. It universities into the THE world Chennai, south India, calling
Magnifico Travel 7/15 start learning Arabic ‘at the basic will have nine levels, and areas university rankings and the for the ‘removal’ of its director,
level’ alongside English – Gha- assessed will include reading, QS ranking by 2020. British national Mark Curnane.
Information correct as of 22 November 2016 na’s only official language. In the speaking, writing, translating The project saw the merger According to The Hindu news-
event of president John dramami and linguistic knowledge. of around 100 russian universi- paper, allegations by anonymous
ELgo debrah, future Ghanaian school Monitor notes, ‘Not all mergers policy at the school, staffed by
ties in 2015 alone, although Icef
parents centre on an apparent
Mahama’s re-election, said Julius
a ‘team of expatriate teachers’,
have gone smoothly.’ Accord-
leavers could earn a certificate
in Arabic with which they ‘can
ing to THE, quoting russian
of seeking to transfer students
from the Government of India’s
news reports, Vasilyeva said
be employed in other Arabic
countries’. The move follows the
announcement in June that ‘local mEXiCO: A GrOuP of stu- in October, ‘we are currently Central Board of Secondary Edu-
suspending any further consoli-
cation curriculum to the much
languages’, rather than English, dents from the Technological dations of russian universities.’ more expensive IGCSE stream.
will become the ‘sole medium of Institute of Aguascalientes, Tass news agency claimed there A lawyer for the school group
Find the perfect language instruction’ in kindergarten and which belongs to the National had been requests to check told The Hindu newspaper, ‘The
Technological
the first three years of primary,
university
of
the full expenditure of funds
director had not indulged in
course in the UK! according to Ghana News. (There Mexico, has created First School allocated to the Ministry of Edu- misconduct.’ The Times of India
are eight ‘government-sponsored’ App, a mobile app for pre-pri- cation for 5-100, with reports of claimed some hirandani teachers
Impartial rankings languages, of which Twi and Ewe mary school students which aims ‘questionable purchases’. had joined the parents’ protests.
to help them with their English
are the biggest.)
based on British language learning. The app ‘is
Council inspections based on meaningful learning – a Nic Underhill 1952–2016
concept which combines games
and tests’. The software also ELT management
Graded English, helps teachers and parents. The pioneer Nic Under-
inventors of the app, which has
Italian, Spanish ViETNam: ThE ambitious Lan- won regional awards, want state hill (right) died on
22 September. Nic
and French guages 2020 project is falling short schools to use it in the future. made innovative
of its ‘unrealistic’ goals, the Social-
and lasting contri-
www.el-go.com ist republic’s education minister butions to ELT in
Phung Xuan Nha admitted in a
many fields, espe-
report to the National Assembly in
November. Viet Nam News reports cially management
and oral testing. He
I am looking for: that the plan to have every school UNiTED STaTES: ThE managed language
student speaking a foreign lan-
teaching organisa-
Quality guage by that year is in trouble, chancellor of California State tions in Brighton, Paris, Kuwait and Sheffield, followed
with Nha citing factors such as the
university, Timothy P. white,
by a distinguished career with Cambridge English Lan-
‘quality and quantity of English pledged in November that ‘Cal guage Assessment, where he became assistant director
teachers’, and the fact that only 49 State’ will not cooperate with law of operations. He was in Cairo for three years as Cam-
Price per cent of primary school English enforcement on any requests to bridge project director on the ambitious Nile Egyptian
teachers meet the project’s criteria. deport any of its estimated 10,000 Schools Project.
while the target is for all students ‘undocumented’ students, most Nic was the first Arels education officer in the 1980s,
Destination safety in year 3 (age eight or nine) to be of whom have gained legal sta- author of the influential Testing Spoken Language
on a ten-year English curriculum tus via Obama’s deferred Action and joint author of The ELT Manager’s Handbook.
by 2020, currently only a fifth of for Childhood Arrivals initiative. He undertook British Council projects and was a BC
Child protection them are on such courses. Nha President-elect donald Trump’s inspector in the UK. He was a founder of the ELT Man-
go ‘challenges’, including setting up ing ‘probably two million’ illegals. agement Sig and helped start the Iatefl Job Shop. He
pledged measures to meet these
campaign pledges included deport-
will be remembered by friends and colleagues for his
a national language centre and Cal State is the biggest state univer- gentle wit and ready insight into complex issues, and
exchange programmes to bring in sity system in the uS, with a total with his wife Ursula for their amiable hospitality.
more ‘foreign teachers’. student body of over 470,000.
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