Page 8 - ELG1706 Jun Issue 448

NEWS .

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SCOTLAND: Planned
strike action by college lecturers
in Scotland has been called off
after teaching unions reached an
agreement with employers.
Lecturers had been taking
strike action in recent weeks – perspective
leading to the cancellation of
many ESOL classes – because of
a row over a new deal on pay and
contact hours, officials from the
EIS/FELA union said. The Gazette editorial team’s
The deal was meant to selection of ELT news from
harmonise pay across all further
education colleges in Scotland. around the world
Colleges had previously been
allowed to set their terms and
conditions independently. This
had led to sizeable differences
in pay for lecturers doing the the teachers did not control their mobile phones, don’t recognise
same job at different colleges. own hours and place of work and Icelandic and must be used in
However, the deal also entailed were subject to constant strict English.
a reduction of preparation monitoring, they were actually A database to help tech
time that would have required employees. developers make Icelandic a
lecturers to take 26 hours of language option would cost
lessons every week. about 1 billion krona, or $8.8
FINLAND: Finnish million, the Icelandic ministry of
universities have seen a drop education estimated.
in applications from non-EU
students of about 30 per cent,
broadcaster Yle reports. children singing in praise of the
This is due to the introduction initiative, are targeted at young
of tuition fees for non-EU English-speaking children. HELGI HALLDÓRSSON
students enroling in English- The lyrics put the emphasis
medium programmes which had on the emotional aspects of the
previously been free, observers plan, rather than the economic
said. benefits: ‘We’re breaking
The new fees will become barriers, we’re making history,
compulsory as of August 2017. the world we’re dreaming of
KOREA: A group of native The government has set starts with you and me,’ the
speaker English teachers in a minimum compulsory fee children sing.
Korea has been awarded a total of €1500 a year, leaving the Chinese Weibo users gave
of 186 million won (£130,000) institutions to decide the exact the videos positive reviews, but AUSTRALIA: Australian
after a court ruled they were amount. EU students and non- questioned why they were in universities are fighting against
legally employees despite having EU students studying in Finnish, English. impending cuts set out in the new
signed freelance contracts. Swedish and Sámi are exempt government federal budget.
Five teachers, four native from the fees. Not only will funding for
speakers and one Korean ICELAND: Icelandic universities be reduced, but
national, filed a lawsuit for linguists fear their language will students will be hit by a 7.5 per
severance and unpaid holiday be lost to English. cent increase in tuition fees and
pay against an English language CHINA: China has released Beyond reports of teenagers the threshold for the repayment
institute after their freelance a series of cheery English- using English to speak among of study loans will be lowered, the
contracts expired in 2015. language videos on YouTube themselves and mass tourism Australian press reports.
The institute, which cannot be explaining President Xi Jinping’s pushing the lingua franca The Group of Eight association
named for legal reasons, argued new trade plan. even further, academics and of research-intensive universities
that they were contracted as The ‘Belt and Road’ overland politicians are now worried has welcomed a pledge by the
independent business owners. trading route will connect 60 about the impact of technology. opposition Labour party to
The Seoul Central District countries across three continents. They are concerned that new oppose further cuts.
Court, however, found that since The videos, made up of voice-activated devices, such as The group’s chief executive

8 June 2017

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