Page 7 - ELG1804 Apr Issue 456

NEWS . NEWS

Singaporean pre-school giant ‘STRUGGLE’ AS NEW ARRIVALS SURGE RUSSIA SPY ROW

sets up in China IN NORTHERN IRISH SCHOOLS HITS BRITISH
COUNCIL

By Federica Tedeschi Northern Ireland is mainly seen The Department for Education By Melanie Butler
By Melanie Butler The number of children in in primary schools, where an in Northern Ireland is currently Russia has ordered the closure
Singapore-based pre-school PACAF Northern Irish schools who do not 8.7 per cent increase has been reviewing its newcomer policy of British Council offices in the
operator Mindchamps is set to speak English or Irish as their first recorded over the last five years. – adopted in 2009 – in order to country as tensions mount over
open its first centre in China in language and need help to access Even though figures have develop the capacity of schools to the use of a deadly nerve agent to
August. The company, which the curriculum has risen nearly stayed almost the same in adapt to new circumstances. poison former spy Sergei Skripal on
already has franchised operations fourfold in just twelve years, new secondary education during the The aim is to tackle current UK soil.
in Australia, Abu Dhabi, Dubai statistics reveal. same period of time, children who challenges that newcomer The British press has reported
and the Philippines, announced Teachers’ leaders said it was arrive as teenagers suffer most pupils face when the language of that thousands of English language
a joint venture with China First becoming ‘a struggle’ to cater for from being non-native English instruction presents a barrier to learners will be hit, but in fact the
Capital Group in February, the the needs of this rapidly growing speakers. They may end up sitting learning for them. Schools with Russian government closed the
Straits Times reports. group of children in a system that their final exams before having newcomer pupils also receive Council’s teaching centres in 2007.
It aims to raise $200 million in has been ‘bled dry’ by budget cuts. fully developed the language additional funding of around Only online courses continued to
capital to acquire existing schools A new report from the comprehension skills needed £1,000 per child. be delivered.
on the Chinese mainland. Department for Education to perform to the best of their Avril Hall Callaghan, general Discussing the closure of
Bilingual kindergartens are a shows there are now 15,220 so- abilities. secretary of the Ulster Teachers’ the Council’s Moscow office,
growing market across the world called ‘newcomers’ in 2017–18 While Northern Ireland is Union, said the ‘challenge is foreign secretary Boris Johnson
and have attracted the attention compared to 9,747 five years experiencing an unprecedented huge’ to give migrant pupils the remarked: ‘These futile measures
of traditional EFL providers ago. But earlier figures show that number of young EAL pupils, education they deserve in the face will only punish ordinary Russians
including the UK’s Bell English in 2006–7 there were just 3,911 England is used to multicultural of a system that has been ‘bled by depriving them of harmless
and Apollo in Vietnam. boasts many of the features of educational adviser to the Blair ‘The programmes are very newcomer pupils in Northern classes in the world of compulsory dry’ of funding. opportunities to learn English.’
Even the British Council has historically successful EFL method government in the UK. The main comprehensive, well-researched Irish schools – indicating a nearly education. ‘These children and families In 2007, after the murder
opened dual language pre-schools schools. As well as a trade-marked inspiration for the Mindchamps and overall excellent.’ fourfold increase in the past Out of the 8.67 million 5-to- have so much to offer Northern of Russian defector Alexander
in Hong Kong and Singapore. curriculum, based on the concept programme, however is But ‘you can expect to be twelve years. 18-year-old pupils in all schools Ireland,’ she added in a statement. Litvinenko in the UK using
The Chinese market is the of the ‘three learning minds’, it has neuroscientist Professor Emeritus treated as the lowest common Pupils currently speak in England, more than a million radioactive polonium, the Russian
biggest prize of all, with ninety its own 200-hour teacher training Allan Snyder, whose work led denominator, especially if you approximately 90 different speak in excess of 360 languages government forced the closure
per cent of all private educational programme, and uses its own to his theory of the Champion are a new trainer …and you can languages, with Polish and between them, census data of all Council teaching centres in
investment in the country going materials. Mindset which underpins the expect to wait for a lifetime of Lithuanian being the most released in 2016 show. 307,569 the country, on the grounds that it
into the provision of pre-school Bang up to date, Mindchamps chain’s methodology. Sundays before being paid...’ common behind English. owed $6.6 million in unpaid taxes.
programmes. claims its methods are evidence- Despite its academic credentials, Teacher supply and retention A total of 4.4 per cent of Number of pupils with In 2009, a Russian court ruled
A number of ‘branded’ based and quotes neuroscience, Mindchamps has begun to face may become a key concern for the the whole school population in that the government figure was
approaches to Early Years provision epigenetics and language some of the difficulties familiar to company as it expands not only Northern Irish institutions are 6,671 English as their first unjustified.
have also taken off, including acquisition research in support EFL method chains. Its franchise into China, where there are strict newcomers, defined as pupils who language in Northern The Council also closed
the Montessori method and the of its approach. Its global board model has led to teachers conditions for employing native ‘do not have English or Irish as Irish schools and its Russian international
Waldorf programmes based on the features a host of educationalists complaining on employer review English speaker teachers, but also their first language and do not Number of language exam centres
work of Rudolf Steiner. including two American website Glassdoor.com about into Vietnam and Myanmar. have satisfactory language skills pre-schools in 2008, although it
Mindchamps, which has a 38 professors, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek conditions at some franchisee As many EFL method schools to participate fully in the school pupils who continued to offer ELT
per cent share of the Singapore and Roberta Michnick Golinkof, centres. One teacher working at a have found, high teacher turnover curriculum’. speak Polish training programmes,
for-profit pre-school market, and Steven Andrews, a senior Mindchamp franchise wrote: can play havoc with profit margins. The growth in enrolment in seminars and online
English courses.
CHINESE ELLS BEAT SPANISH IN ENGLISH LEARNING RACE
newsinbrief

By Federica Tedeschi achieved English proficiency Spanish speakers scored lower participants in the study
THE NUMBER OF CAMPAIGNERS GLOBAL DEMAND A STUDY HAS THE UNIVERSITY OF
CHINESE STUDENTS PUSHING FOR FOR BRITISH HIGHLIGHTED TOKYO Young Chinese-speaking English within four years, the lowest rate. in English than speakers of developed writing proficiency
applying to an Australian English to be made the undergraduate courses the impact of Brexit on has refused to embrace language learners living in the The rate for Chinese children Germanic and Slavic languages. within four years.
university from overseas US government’s official has increased significantly the academic research privately run English tests US are almost twice as likely within the same amount of time The US study found that This compared to 80 per cent
has flat-lined, according language have held a for the first time in five world. to select new students. as Spanish speakers to become was 79 per cent. ‘This result may writing was the weakest skill. who were proficient in the other
to the THE. series of meetings at years, Icef Monitor Brexit could mean other The move goes against proficient in English within four seem counterintuitive because Only 48 per cent of all three skills.
However, the number the White House, the reports. countries usurp the national guidelines which years, research conducted in Chinese, Khmer, Vietnamese and
of Chinese applicants Review-Journal reported. Non-EU students’ UK’s leading position in propose accepting a Pennsylvania has found. Arabic are at greater linguistic
who were already based Stephen Guschov, the applications rose by 11 European research, the number of private-sector The longitudinal study used distance from English, while
in Australia increased executive director of per cent in 2017, to over report from the Centre for tests such as Toeic.
by 4.2 per cent, a ProEnglish, said that 58,000 learners - the Global Higher Education Entrance exams in English data from 3,505 learners from Spanish is less distant,’ the report
government report said. he had met with White highest number ever at UCL in London said. at Japanese universities four public kindergarten cohorts from the Philadelphia Education
Across all nationalities, House staffers to discuss recorded from these kind The report added that have been criticised for during 2008-9 to 2011–12. They Research Consortium says.
onshore applications the issue. of students. the nine other countries focusing on reading and included speakers of five different Spanish speakers outperform
for higher education Meanwhile, Trump’s Meanwhile, EU considered in the study writing. languages. learners from mainland China
study visas increased by supporters have been application volumes will also be affected, Tokyo University will It showed 59 per cent of all and Vietnam in all international
24 per cent – almost 10 questioned online about increased by 3.4 per cent, as much of their EU- rely on the results of an participants reached English English tests, a comparison of
times the growth rate their views on making marking a reversal of the funded research involves existing test and a new proficiency by the end of the results from Toefl, Ielts and EF
in applications from English the official plunge in applications collaboration with British standardised exam until third grade, in line with previous shows.
abroad. language of the US. registered in 2017. institutions. 2023.
studies. Only 43 per cent of However, a 2012 study by the
students who spoke Spanish European Union showed that
6 April 2018 editorial@elgazette.com 7