Page 24 - ELG1709 Agu-Sep Issue 450

FEATURES & COMMENT
Don’t worry, size doesn’t matter CHINESE DODGY

DOCUMENTS
SWOOP

What matters is ‘teacher expertise’. one tutorials at extra cost. The school at the The Chinese
But isn’t language learning different? top, by contrast, has a maximum class size government
EL Gazette research indicates that, at least of sixteen. It costs £330 a week, excluding clampdown on
according to British Council inspection accommodation, for 24 hours of teacher-led foreign teachers
reports of UK accredited schools, it is not. classes with additional online self-study. using fake degree
These reports are, as far as we know, the There is also an in-school activity certificates, Tefl
only published evidence available on the programme and tutorials for students staying certificates and
comparative quality of private language more than two weeks, all included in the visas has led to the
schools. They judge each school in fifteen price. arrest and deportation of 1,000 people
areas – including teaching and learning – and And which is best at teaching? The one at in one month this year, according to the
report if it has exceeded or met the standard, the top has a large, stable permanent staff, blog China Scam Patrol.
or has failed to meet it. 90 per cent of whom are diploma qualified. In March this year, the government
In order to compile our rankings of UK At inspection, it exceeded the standard in all department responsible for foreign
accredited language centres, published in this five components of teaching and learning. teachers announced that up to one
month’s edition, the Gazette checks every The other had no diploma-level teachers, third of foreigners teaching in China, an
report on every school twice every year. In and six teachers, mostly specialists on estimated 10,000 people, were ‘fakes’.
nearly a decade of looking, we have found temporary contracts, who did not meet In May, China Scam Patrol named
no correlation between class size and school the qualification requirements. It met all 1,000 teachers who had been deported
quality. the standards for teaching and learning at the previous month, most for using
Let’s examine the results of two private inspection but exceeded them in none. forged certificates or visas.
language schools, one right at the top of the Smaller classes or expert teachers? You Chinese officials are using the False
rankings, the other languishing near the pays your money and you takes your choice. Documents Law, originally aimed at
bottom. counterfeit luxury goods, to clamp
The one at the bottom has class sizes down on unqualified teachers,
of between two and four. It costs £820 MELANIE BUTLER according to the blog.
a week, excluding accommodation, for Editor at large Teacher forums support the website’s
eighteen hours of teacher-led classes, with @MelanieButler_E claims that authorities are setting up
additional self-study and a cultural activity sting operations and offering rewards to
programme, both free. It also offers one-to- citizens reporting fake teachers.

CREDIT HERE Caption s tyle

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editorial@elgazette.com 23

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