Page 1 - ELG1701 Jan Issue 443

ELgazette

£3.50 • US$6.50 • ¥700 • €5.50 The newspaper for English language and international education Issue 443 | January 2017

UK shuts

uni doors

Inside... THE BRITISH government may
look to slash the number of interna-
tional students to 170,000, nearly
half the current enrolment, accord-
ing the Guardian newspaper, in
what’s seen as a purely political
Courtesy The Eye Newspaper weblog Cameroon which includes British citizens
move to rig immigration numbers.
The government has promised
to reduce net migration, a measure
and international students. Una-
ble to cut migrants from the EU
until Brexit is complete, Prime
Minister Theresa May is target-
ing students as ‘the only way …
of getting net migration down to
the tens of thousands,’ according
to one university vice chancellor.
Previous measures introduced
Page 3: New megaphone by Ms May have seen student
makes it easy to give a BARRIER TO LEARNING numbers fall dramatically. The
loud and clear translation ‘Language wars’ Anglophones in Buea, capital of Office for National Statistics
shows levels for all student
Cameroon’s Southwest region, gather to
rock Cameroon hear opposition leader Ni John Fru Ndi migrants to be down at 2007 lev-
els, representing ‘a significant
speak in support of striking English-
fall in the number of people com-
speaking lawyers and teachers, as
Cameroon’s ‘language war’ escalates.
Based on Universities UK
Cameroon’s anglophones have taken to ing to the UK for education’.
the streets over the ‘marginalisation’ of the figures, the country will lose £5
HUNDREDS HAVE been arrested with at reported that a 72-hour discussion between nation’s English-speaking minority. See billion a year in income if the
least two killed – apparently at the hands of striking lawyers and government ended with story below. proposed cuts go ahead. n
security forces – during protests by anglo- lawyers leaving with ‘the idea that govern-
phones. Lawyers, teachers and students ment doesn’t want to listen to them’.
are on strike over the ‘marginalisation’ of Demonstrations by the regions’ univer-
English-speakers in the officially bilingual sity and school teachers, supported by their
(French and English) west African nation of students, quickly followed. The schools and
Cameroon. The protests, rallies and demon- universities closed after clashes with security
strations throughout the last three months of forces that resulted in at least one death on 1
Page 4: ELjobs – from ski 2016 have escalated into calls for ‘federal- December in the Southwest regional capital
resorts to the oil industry, ism’ or even independence for Cameroon’s Buea. ‘Massive demonstrations’ followed,
Kazakhstan fuels the future majority English-language-using Northwest according to the BBC, with local youth and
and Southwest regions. MPs from the opposition SDF party joining
Cameroon was a French colony before in. The news editor of Cameroon Concorde
it achieved independence in 1960, with the news website contacted the Gazette a week
southern part of British Cameroon joining later to say two more demonstrators had been
after a referendum in 1961 (the northern part killed during further conflict with security
joined Nigeria). Some five million Cameroo- forces in the same city.
nians in Northwest and Southwest regions While lawyers in the Cameroon Bar Asso-
use English or Cameroonian Pidgin English ciation told Voice of America that ‘security
rather than French as a lingua franca. (Few forces increased tensions and beat them
Cameroonians speak either French or Eng- for demonstrating peacefully,’ government
lish at home.) Government jobs usually go spokesperson Issa Tchiroma stated that ‘law
to francophones – no English-speakers have enforcement officers handled demonstra-
held ministerial, senior defence or regional tions in Bamenda and Buea with respect and
governor posts since independence. professionalism.’ With damage to shops and
Protests began in late October by lawyers, property reported in Buea and Bemanda, the
who held marches in their full regalia of US State Department extended its warning
Pages iii–vi: UK and wigs and gowns in the provincial capitals of against non-essential travel to include South-
Irish Tesol-related Buea and Bamenda against the ‘downgrad- west and Northwest provinces (it already
masters round-up ing’ of English in the courts, with reports of covered Cameroon’s regions that border
francophone magistrates being appointed northern Nigeria which are subject to attacks
to the local courts circuit. Voice of America by Boko Haram jihadi insurgents). n

$1m question finally answered

FOR MANY years the Gazette has interviewed composition and opportunity to learn.’
academics from the world of ELT and applied Peggy Estrada, together with colleague
linguistics research. One of our standard ques- Timea Farkas and Stanford University pro-
tions has always been, ‘What would you do if fessor of education Claude Goldenberg, will
you won a research grant of £1 million (or $1 look at the ‘classroom composition’ of six-
million)?’ Imagine our surprise, then, on hear- teen schools in a California school district
ing that a team including research scientists at with a high proportion of English language
the University of California Santa Cruz had learners. Strictly speaking, the team haven’t
8-page supplement: actually won a research grant of $1 million to won $1 million, the grant is for ‘only’
Focusing on the Middle carry out a three-year study into ‘English learner $999,999. We wish them well, and hope to
East and North Africa achievement in elementary school: classroom interview Estrada later this year. n