Page 7 - ELG1906 May-Jun Issue 465
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NEWS        .
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  NEWS

        British government under scrutiny over                                                                                 Mother and son win battle with school


        treatment of students in Toeic test scandal                                                                            By Matt Salusbury          pay or overtime. Jarvis’s duration   hours or conditions. Teaching
                                                                                                                                                          of service was wrongly given, with
                                                                                                                                                                                     English is not that type of work,”
                                                                                                                               Two English language teachers –   the company name misspelled   he explained.                             WIKIMEDIA
        By Matt Salusbury            A 2014 BBC documentary   he’s fought, said judges had “real   and suffering from severe mental   a mother and son – who resisted   several different ways.  Jarvis described repeated threats
                                   found evidence of some test   concerns about the quality of   health problems.”             unfair contracts at their Japanese   While Jarvis was initially   of dismissal, as he and his mother
        The UK Parliament’s watchdog,   centres helping students to   evidence” produced by the Home   Stephen Timms MP, who has   eikaiwa   (English  conversation  disinclined to make an issue of his   refused to sign. Management
        the  National  Audit  Office  cheat in the exams. British MPs,   Office.        represented many of the students,      school) have won huge payouts   contract, he was inspired by his   made minor concessions to them,
        (NAO), has criticised the UK   however, have expressed “grave   The Guardian interviewed student   called on the Home Office to   after a two-and-a-half-year legal   mother, who “absolutely refused   but their names disappeared from
        government for its handling   concern” that so many candidates   Raja Noman Hussein, who said   allow students to sit another   battle.           to sign.” Powers told Japan Times,   the teaching rota when they
        of the cases of thousands of   who sat the test between 2011   that while he was in immigration   English test so they could resume   The pair were aided by a   “There’s a rumour that goes   hadn’t signed by 1 January 2017.
        international students caught up   and 2014 were then accused   detention, “Every day I met three   their studies.     recently-qualified lawyer fighting   around the foreign community   Sawafuji submitted a deposition
        in the Toeic English test scandal   of cheating. American exam   or four new people who were being   MPs have compared the Toeic   his first case, who happened to be   that we don’t have any rights…   to the Tokyo District Court
        in 2014. Following the scandal,   board ETS, who created and   detained because of Toeic.”  Test-  affair to last year’s Windrush   one of their students.  perpetuated by landlords and   soon after. He explained that if
        immigration authorities revoked   administered the exams, told the   takers stripped of their student   scandal, in which at least 83 Afro-  Mulele Jarvis, aged 48, had been   employers who need to discourage   the court rules the deposition is
        the visas of 34,000 students,   government analysts that its voice   visas have been represented by   Caribbean British citizens were   teaching at the school for seven   any protest. It’s not true.”  justified, “the employer is required
        forcibly deporting more than   recognition software suggested   the charity Migrant Voice, whose   wrongly deported. Compensation   years, and in Japan for a total   The two teachers showed their   to pay living expenses for the
        2,500.                     that, over a five-year period, more   director Nazek Ramadan said that,   for the victims of that affair is   of 28 years. His mother Cindy   contracts  to  newly-qualified  employees while the entire legal
          The NAO report found the   than 50,000 students had cheated.   “many of the students are destitute   estimated at around £200 million.  Powers taught at the same school   lawyer Taiga Sawafuji, a student   process unfolds.”  Signs advertising eikaiwa
        government had failed to protect   However, an appeals                                                                 part-time. Jarvis told Japan Times  of Jarvis who took their case   Jarvis went unpaid until May   schools in Tokyo
        “those who did not cheat but   Court ruling in 2016,                                                                   he’d previously “signed pretty   on the basis of being paid on   2017, when a judge awarded him   one year’s salary in severance
        who were still caught up in the   which ETS failed to                                                                  much whatever I was given.”   settlement. Sawafuji noted that   living expenses of ¥250,000 a   pay. Both Jarvis and Powers were
        process.”                  attend, dismissed this                                                          MIGRANT VOICE  In August 2016, management   2013 amendments to the Labour   month. Powers received half that   awarded several years’ salary just
          The Home Office faces    evidence as ‘hearsay’.                                                                      informed Jarvis and Powers, both   Contracts Act give workers on   as she had another job. Jarvis   weeks before a judge would have
        more than 300 appeals court   The  government,                                                                         salaried teachers, that the eikaiwa   a series of fixed-term contracts   described the “beautiful moment”   forced a settlement.
        challenges from students, most   however, continued to                                                                 had a change of ownership and   the right to a permanent   when two “executioners” (officers   Sawafuji points to organisations
        from South Asia, who believe   pursue some 36,000                                                                      that they’d be given new contracts.   contract after five years, and   of the court) accompanied him   such as the Japan Legal Support
        they were wrongly accused   students it believed                                                                         But   these  “questionable  that the contracts’ wording on   and his mother to collect their   Centre that offer consultation
        of cheating. Until 2017, UK   to  have  cheated,                                                                       contracts” listed both teachers   “independent contractors” was   back pay from the company safes.   on a needs-assessed basis and
        immigration rules meant that   detaining many and                                                                      as “independent contractors”   problematic. Teachers “cannot   Two more years of legal battles   recommends joining a union.
        affected students had to return   deporting more than                                                                  instead of “workers”, with no   in normal situations be hired for   followed as the school rejected   “Know your rights and don’t
        home before they could appeal   2,500.                                                                                 references to their existing holiday   a specific job without regard to   the judge’s offer to settle with   give up.”
        their case. These regulations   Students who found
        were overruled by the court,   the money to appeal
        leading to hundreds of students   have discovered that                                                                 Tall tales to tempt learners Japanese chain slashes
        being stranded in the UK for up   the Home Office’s
        to five years while they brought   grounds for revoking                                                                By Matt Salusbury                                     one-to-one school sites
        their cases to court.      their visas have been                                                                                                  transported to an alien world, the
          The   Guardian  newspaper  “insubstantial.” Patrick                                                                  The Japanese government is   title, which translates as ‘English
        reports that a special Home Office   Lewis,  a  barrister                                                              getting into the anime business,   Fundamentals 2’, is rather less   By Matt Salusbury  profit within a certain period of
        team has been set up to deal with   who has won all but   International students accused by the Home Offi ce of cheating in   with the publication of a new book   romantic.  The   Coco  Juku  English  time,” according to Japan Times.
        the backlog of legal actions.  one of the 15 cases   Toeic English tests demonstrate in Parliament Square in January 2019  featuring a Japanese schoolgirl, a   The tale is the latest printed   language school chain closed 51   The   eikaiwa  (‘English
                                                                                                                               swordsman and a warrior princess   partwork which accompanies   of its 72 schools across Japan on   conversation  school’)  model,
                                                                                                                               on the front cover.        the  ‘English  Fundamentals’  31 March. The chain’s owner, the   where students buy “points” for
                                                                                                                                 Though  the  plotline  fits  radio series, a course for English   Nichii Gakkan Company, said it   lessons up-front, in a system a bit
          newsinbrief                                                                                                          neatly into the  isegai genre,   language learners produced by   planned to transfer teachers to   like gym membership, has been in
                                                                                                                               where a modern-day human is   NHK, Japan’s public service   other schools.       trouble for some time.
                                                                                                                                                          broadcaster, which also publishes    The chain employs 560 staff,   Japan’s biggest  eikaiwa chain,
             ESTONIA: Estonia’s  AUSTRALIA: The   INDIA: Rumours   TURKEY: A Turkish   NEW ZEALAND:   ETHIOPIA:                             ೥ ݄  ೔ൃߦɾൃചʢຖ݄ ճ  ೔ൃߦɾൃചʣ  ৽։ߨʂ  the books.  including teachers, managers and   Geos, went bankrupt in 2010,
                                                                                                                                         ݄߸ɹୈ  רୈ ߸
             Minister of     Australian state of   surround   language school was   A college in   Among the 157              NHK                       ݄   ೔  The  print  story,  which  support personnel, according to   while the huge Nova chain went
             Education, Mailis   Victoria has capped  forthcoming Hindi-  ordered to pay 73,000  Auckland, New   people killed in   جૅӳޠ    2         ớ݄Ờ  features a second-year junior   the Japan Times. It is unclear how   under in 2007.
             Reps, announced   international   language fi lm   lira (around $13,000)   Zealand was   the Ethiopian                                       high school girl, a dragon and   many jobs will be lost.  Coco Juku Junior began in 2012
             in May that state   enrolments into   English Medium,   to Harvard University   fi ned $40,000   Airlines crash at   ߨࢣ                4.1-5.3
                                                                                                                                                    2019
                                                                                                                               ߴాஐࢠ                       a magic kingdom, is designed   Nichii Gakkan added that it   as an operation to teach children
             secondary school   its state primary   featuring superstar   for unauthorised   after admitting   Addis Abbaba                               to  cover  the  vocabulary  plans to offer refunds for lessons   one-to-one, with the Coco Juku
             students with   and secondary    Irrfan Khan. A sequel   use of its name.   to 52 counts   Airport in March
             high-level English   schools at 5,750,   to smash hit Hindi   An Istanbul court   of immigration   was Spanish                               and grammar introduced in   paid for up-front, including   chain starting a year later to teach
             will be able to take   following a surge   Medium, it centres   ruled that ‘Harvard   fraud, in the fi rst   national Pilar                  upcoming episodes, which deal   to around 1,450 adults at its   group English lessons to adults.
             Cambridge English   in applications.   on a couple whose   Yabanci Dil’ had   case of its kind.   Martinez Docampo,                          with the function of talking   various branches, as well as 4,040   Nichii Gakkan, whose core
             Assessment’s CAE   Some 300 schools   daughter, studying   granted franchises   The International   who had lived in                         about yourself.            “younger” students taught by its   business is medical services and
             exam free of charge  across Victoria   in the US, faces   which breached   College of Auckland  London for seven                               Among the phrases students   Coco Juku Junior one-to-one   care homes, also owns Gaba Corp
             from September.   recruit international  “trouble fi tting into   trademark law.   had given receipts   years and worked                     learn are “A dragon captured   operation.             (acquired 2011) a one-to-one
             Previously, only the   students, with   a system where   The school owner   showing students   there as a chef.                              Princess Jonquil of Blossom   Another fifteen schools in the   English conversation operation
             state school leaving  parents paying up   English is the primary  argued that the   had paid their   She was on her way              ͱ͡ࠐΈ෇࿥  Kingdom” and “Japan? I don’t   group are “expected” to close   for adults, which remains in
             exam in English, at   to $15,000 a year   spoken language”,   name referred to a   course fees in full,   to teach English   She loves fantasy stories.  ੾Γऔͬͯ࢖͑Δ
                                                                                                                                                  $"/ %0
                                                                                                                                ࠓ݄ͷ$"/ %0  ࣗ෼΍༑ͩͪͷ͜ͱʹ͍ͭͯ࿩ͯ͠ΈΑ͏ʂ  ϦετɾΧʔυ  know that Kingdom,” which are   soon, according to the holding   operation.
             level B2, was free of  for a high school   according to the   geographical region   when they had only   language as a                  LEVEL
                                                                                                                                                      C2 C1  designed to delight the  otaku,   company. The decision by Nichii   In 2018 the Coco Juku one-to-
                                                                                                                                            ΠϯλʔωοτͰ൪૊͕ௌ͚·͢
             charge.         place.           Times of India.  of Massachusetts.  paid them in part.  volunteer in Kenya.       ୈ ์ૹ  ݄༵ʙ༵ۚ ݄༵ʙ༵ۚ  ޕલ     d      B2 B1 A2
                                                                                                                                ϥδΦ
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                                                                                                                                  ࠶์ૹ
                                                                                                                                  ࠶์ૹ  ݄༵ʙ༵ۚ  ޕޙ     d       $%୯ମͰͷൃച͸͋Γ·ͤΜɻ  A1  as mega-Manga fans are called,   Gakkan to close most of its Coco   one courses were transferred to
                                                                                                                                                   ʮجૅӳޠ  $%෇͖ʯɺ
                                                                                                                                                  ·ͨ͸ผചͷԻ੠ڭࡐΛ͝ར༻͍ͩ͘͞ɻ  A0
                                                                                                                                ݄  ೔ʢ݄ʣʙ ݄ ೔ʢۚʣ͸࠶์ૹͰ͢ɻ
                                                                                                                               Can anime animate Japanese  and lure them into learning   Juku operation came after they   Gaba and branded as 'Gaba man-
                                                                                                                               English language learners?  English.                  “were deemed unlikely to turn a   to-man eikaiwa.'
        6                                                                                           May/June 2019              editorial@elgazette.com                                                                                 7
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