Page 11 - ELG1711 Nov Issue 452

NEWS
NEWS
MIGRANTS WAITING
Chasing Time Productions AVERAGE ‘SIX MONTHS’ El Gazette loves to celebrate linguistic
Teacher’s pet

FOR ENGLISH CLASSES
diversity – and all those who promote
it. So this month, we are handing the illustrious
By Claudia Civinini ran a similar survey in 2014. ‘Figures title of Teacher’s Pet to, well, a computer game.
Migrants to the UK are waiting an have actually got worse,’ she said. ‘With Far from being one of those obscure ELT
average of six months to start Esol funding slashed, many teachers have left acronyms, Elfdalian – also rather aptly dubbed
classes, a survey suggests. – and now we have a teacher shortage
Almost two-thirds of 71 English for as well.’ Ms Roden told the Gazette ‘forest language’ – is an ancient North Germanic
Speakers of Other Languages (Esol) there is currently a ‘postcode lottery’ language spoken by only about 3,000 people
providers surveyed in England said they determining access to provision. An Esol in the parish of Älvdalen, Sweden. To help it
had waiting lists. strategy, she says, is needed to ensure survive, a group of US and Swedish language
Some providers said they had closed better coordination and management at enthusiasts are setting up a safe haven for it on
their waiting lists to new learners both local and national level. Minecraft.
‘because it sets up false expectations’. Charities and other community A Minecraft version of Älvdalen and
One refugee had waited as long as groups are stepping in and supporting
three years before being offered a place, refugees, the report says. However, the surrounding villages, rigorously in Elfdalian, will
the survey said. The providers surveyed voluntary sector can’t substitute formal be launched in 2018. The group hopes that this
cater for more than 35,000 Esol learners, and accredited Esol classes, Refugee will encourage millions of children playing the
half of whom are waiting an average of Action pointed out. game worldwide to learn the lingo. Linguists and
six months to start lessons. Natecla published its Towards an Esol local politicians have welcomed the initiative.
And the situation is particularly strategy for England document last year, ‘We need to make
difficult for parents: 77 per cent of calling for the creation of a national sure [children] know
providers said they were unable to plan for Esol in England. Scotland and
provide childcare. The survey was Wales already have one. The city of that it’s cool to speak
carried out by charity Refugee Action Manchester developed a strategy after Elfdalian,’ municipal
and Natecla (the National Association Natecla launched their document. commissioner Peter
for Teaching English and Community According to the organisation, the Egardt told The Local.
Languages to Adults), which is pushing document has had a ‘considerable
for a national strategy for Esol in influence on policymakers’ and has
England. been used in the All Party Parliamentary
Stephen Hale, chief executive of Group Report on Social Integration. Naughty corner
Refugee Action, said: ‘Leaving refugees But more needs to be done, Ms Roden
isolated and unable to start learning insisted, especially in regards to the
English is a huge barrier to integration.’ ‘infrastructure of Esol’ – including
Colleges and organisations providing curriculum, teacher qualifications and
Esol classes said they often struggled to CPD certification. Natecla is planning We all know
meet demand due to dramatic funding to get more learners on board with the that nerds, thanks
cuts. According to Natecla figures, campaign, lobbying MPs and mayors to series such as The
funding for Esol has dropped from £203 to support the creation of a national Big Bang Theory,
million in 2009–10 to £90m in 2015–16. strategy. It also wants to engage other have acquired a new
Jenny Roden, co-chair of Natecla, sectors such as health and social services allure. But Apple chief
told the Gazette that the association as well as the ELT industry.
executive Tim Cook
took this a step further
when he said that learning to code was more
important than learning English. ‘If I were a
French student and I were ten years old, I think
it would be more important to learn coding
than English,’ he told the French website
Konbini. Why? Because ‘this is a language that
you can [use to] express yourself to seven
billion people in the world,’ he said, somewhat
cryptically. Last time we checked, coding was
all about talking to computers. And a couple
of figures may have been overlooked. Just over
3.3 billion people in the world currently have
internet access, while only about 18.5 million
know how to code. Meanwhile, about 1.2
billion people speak English and 1.5 billion are
learning it. Also, perhaps most importantly, like
in most coding languages, all the keywords in
Funding cuts have been Swift are ... in English.
blamed for Esol waiting lists
editorial@elgazette.com 11

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