Page 3 - ELG1601 Dec Issue 442

December 2016 ELlanguage news Page 3

California votes

down bilingual

teaching ban

Kelly FranKlin acquisition programme they
writes feel is best for their child. Pre-
viously restricted dual-language
What does bilingual education programmes, whether meant to
have in common with marijuana, develop newcomers’ english or Courtesy Sindicato de Estudiantes
condoms, the death penalty and native speakers’ acquisition of
gun control? In the Us state of new languages, can be added by
California, those were some of the any school district so choosing.
topics raised by seventeen differ- schools will now be required
ent referendums on 8 November, to seek parent and community
the day of the general election. input regarding best methodology Protests throw Spanish law into doubt
California is one of 26 states and practice, and must provide
that conduct state-wide ballots the option of teaching through
on legislative initiatives, both english-only environments if non- Controversial elements of a new education law are in don’t then they will have no other opportunities to
those originating within the english-speaking students request doubt after protests in more than forty Spanish cities continue studying in higher education.
elected legislative bodies and that instead of bilingual instruction. including Madrid (pictured above), with thousands of ‘This law will exclude thousands of young people
those coming directly from cit- the proposition was favoured students, parents and teachers taking to the streets, from poorer neighbourhoods from the educational
izen-generated petitions. by the democratic Party and writes Andrea Pérez. system,’ stated major student union Sindicato de
the ‘Non-english Languages others, including the California a draft of the new law, which was leaked to el País, estudiantes.
allowed in Public educa- teachers’ unions, which has been revealed that foreign language university exams (english in response to the protests, which are supported by
tion act’ proposition, initiated calling for local and teacher-driven language is the most commonly chosen) will now have an all the student unions and the main opposition parties,
through a Bill in the state legis- control of classroom methodology. oral component. Forty per cent of the mark will be given to Spanish president Mariano rajoy said that the
lature, was approved by 72 per the Republican Party and other the listening and speaking parts of the test. reválidas would not take place unless a cross-party
cent of Californian voters in the conservatives opposed the change, Under the new law, students only have two education pact could be drawn up. This leaves
recent poll. this proposition, arguing against the higher costs of opportunities to pass the reválidas (proposed school- students uncertain as to which university entrance
number 58, overturned a 1998 providing bilingual education as leaving exams) and obtain a diploma – and if they exams they will take in June.
proposition that basically forced well as other programmes neces-
school districts to use ‘english- sary if parents demand alternative
only’ methods to teach english to processes.
non-native speakers in state-run In reality, other than removing
primary and secondary schools. the one-year restriction on lan- New truth
the 1998 act removed bilin- guage instruction for non-native
gual education from the options speakers, the measure simply
available to educators across the allows schools to be open about the oxFoRd dictionaries
state to assist the rapidly growing their current practice. Wording of Word of the Year for 2016 is
immigrant population in Califor- the previous measure, proposi- ‘post-truth’, an adjective defined
nia. It allowed english-only esL tion 227, demanded that teaching as ‘denoting circumstances in
classes for a maximum of just be ‘overwhelmingly in english’. which objective facts are less
one year before mainstreaming. some schools interpreted that influential in shaping public
Proponents of the ban opposed quite loosely, ensuring only that opinion than appeals to emotion
bilingual education for various english was used at some level and personal belief’.
philosophical reasons, arguing above 50 per cent of total time the term can be traced to
that it was much costlier and that, within bilingual classes. serbian–american playwright
with bilingual education, students Proposition 58 and other meas- steve teisch, who noted in
were able to receive high school ures including limited ammunition 1992 of the earlier Iran–Contra
diplomas without ever showing control and legalised marijuana scandal that it was as if people
mastery of english. usage were among eleven propo- had chosen to live ‘in some
the passing of Proposition sitions approved, while a ban on post-truth world’. there has
58 returns decision-making pro- plastic bags used by many stores been a spike in its use around
cesses to local school districts, and a requirement that condom the recent eU referendum in
while also allowing parents to usage be mandatory in all porno- the UK and the Us presidential
request the type of language graphic films were voted down. n election. n

Schools hail SA visa victory

LaNgUage sChooL asso- a label which didn’t include eng- registration as learning institutions,
ciation education south africa lish language schools. students and will cover the whole accredi-
(edusa) has successfully from most european and Latin tation process ‘until such time that
challenged the south african gov- american countries enjoy a visa- edusa members meet the “learning
ernment over a strict immigration free policy for up to ninety days, institute” definition requirement’.
policy which it claimed was dam- but the restrictions were affect- this could start a ‘process of for-
aging the country’s eFL industry. ing other source markets such malising the eFL industry in south
edusa chair Johannes Kraus as south Korea, China and sub- africa’, commented Kraus.
said that the association had now saharan africa, and were causing Immigration law specialist ste-
reached an ‘amicable’ settlement ‘reputational damage’ to the fanie de saude, who represented
with the department of home international education industry edusa, welcomed the clarity
affairs and higher education and in the country. about students studying on visitor
training. this includes a dispensa- In July edusa initiated court visas. the country’s director-gen-
tion for edusa member institutes action to challenge the south eral of immigration explained
which allows students to study in african government and poli- that foreigners studying with
south africa for up to 18 months. cymakers’ ‘failure to allow for legitimate providers now falling
‘this marks a defining moment in students enrolling in english within the definition of learning
our industry,’ Klaus commented, language programmes’. the institutions are covered by a visi-
‘as it allows us to grow our meagre association aimed, among other tor visa issued in terms of section
1 per cent share of the multi-billion things, for language schools to be 11(1) of the Immigration act. de
dollar global eFL market.’ treated as ‘learning institutions’. saude said that this will ‘ease the
Current regulations allow stu- the special dispensation for entry of foreign students into the
dents to apply for visas only when edusa members has been granted country, which has immense eco-
studying at ‘learning institutions’, while schools apply for provisional nomic benefit’. n

p02-03_ELG1216.indd 2 11/24/2016 4:37:53 PM