Page 8 - ELG1909 Sep Issue 466

GLOBAL NEWS . NEWS

It was in her capacity as a
JAPAN: stating that English teachers translator for scientists for the seven mining licences in the for free land provided by the
government of the Hong Kong
region were cancelled after her
will have to take the Malaysia
An investigation by Japanese University English Test (MUET) Snow Leopard Trust in 1997 campaign caused parliament to Special Administrative Region.
newspaper Mainichi Shimbun as part of school reforms requiring that Agvaantseren encountered declare a State Protected Area. A Zubin Foundation report
reveals that 13 of the country’s 82 gl bal English teachers to achieve C1 on the critically endangered snow In April, Agvaantseren won entitled Missed Opportunities for
national universities will accept the CEFR. leopards in the Southern Gobi the Goldman Environmental English Language Education for Ethnic
applicants to some of their faculties The Education Ministry has Desert. This inspired her to set up Prize Asia, including $200,000 Minorities in Hong Kong, found
who have English at junior high- since launched a campaign to an insurance scheme for shepherds to help recipients “pursue their that 58 per cent of foundations
school level – equivalent to just recruit more English teachers and who lost their animals to snow vision of a renewed and protected surveyed didn’t believe they had
A1 on the Common CEFR, rather to induce former English teachers leopard predation. She became the environment.” any scholarship requirement.
than the ‘mid-high school’ level to come out of retirement. director of the Snow Leopard Trust, The report argues the money
of A2 recommended in recent perspective lobbying for the creation of the Tost could be used to fund education
government reforms. Tosonbubma nature reserve. HONG KONG: for the Special Autonomous
Under the new system, to Starting in 2009, she mobilised Private English-medium schools in Region’s English-speaking ethnic
be introduced in academic NST ONLINE/YOUTUBE local nomads to oppose mining Hong Kong are often unaware of minority children.
year 2020, applicants take a The Gazette editorial team’s interests that were destroying their obligations to set aside some It notes that many ethnic
standardised entrance exam, to selection of ELT news from snow leopard habitats. Thirty- of their profits for scholarships for minority children, particularly
which they can add ‘points’ by poorer students, a report from the Pakistanis and Nepalis, struggle
taking one of eight approved around the world education think-tank the Zubin to master Cantonese and would
private English language tests, Aminuddin Awang speaking Foundation has found. benefit from “an excellent
including Toefl and Eiken. at a press conference. Private schools are required education in English,” in which
The 13 institutions accepting ensure their access to language as a language of conversation in foreign kindergarten teachers by law to set aside a tenth of they are proficient rather than the
lower English language levels learning will have greater power, corridors and classrooms, for a faster into the country without the GOLDMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE their profits for scholarships for “poor education in Chinese” they
include three teacher training with the right to language learning integration into Swedish society.” right qualifications or work visas, MONGOLIA: disadvantaged children, in return often get.
colleges and one agricultural more easily enforceable. The country’s tradition of according website Globalnews.cn. A former English language
university, mostly in regions Designed primarily to ensure taking in refugees means there The agents, who were charged teacher in Mongolia has won the
with “regional and economic that Mexico’s indigenous groups are many bilingual students in with, “organising people to secretly world’s biggest environmental
disparities.” The lack of local have greater access to learning Sweden. Arabic overtook Finnish cross the national boundary,” were award for her work protecting
test centres for private English in their own languages, the as the second most-widely spoken also fined 10,000 yuan each. snow leopards. THE ZUBIN FOUNDATION
language tests were a factor in constitutional amendment is language in 2018, following As we report on page 6, the Bayarajargal Agvaantseren
the decision to lower language likely to result in court actions the arrival of large numbers of recent crackdown on English worked as teacher and translator
requirements. aimed at securing the provision Syrians. Recent arrivals often language teachers without of English and Russian, graduating
of English language classes communicate using English as a the right qualifications and in the early 1990s and interpreting Bayarhargal Agvaansteren wins Many Hong Kong schools are unaware of the scholarship law.
Goldman Environmental Prize.
YOKOHAMA NATIONAL UNIVERSITY sector universities have an English the motion grants exceptions for arrested and deported. This is the
for US Peace Corps volunteers.
lingua franca, a practise which
throughout Mexico.
experience has led to an increase
would also be covered by the ban.
in the number of teachers being
While most leading public-
According to Daily Sweden,
language requirement for entry,
first case we have come across
where authorities have focussed
around 70 per cent of Mexico’s
the official languages of Finnish
and Sami (a Lapp language,) and
primary school students have no
on recruitment agents, many of
whom claim falsely that teachers
access to English classes at all.
to “official minority languages,”
can work on a tourist visa.
which include Meänkieli, Yiddish
Yokohama National University
and Romani. “Regular language
PIXABAY
to accept lower English levels.
lessons”
featuring
foreign
languages – presumably including MALAYSIA:
English – would still be permitted. The president of Malaysia’s biggest
MEXICO: teacher’s union, the National Union
An expansion of English-language of the Teaching Profession, has Our unique series - written by
teaching in state education is WIKIMEDIA called on the Education Ministry Herbert Puchta, Günter Gerngross
expected following a Senate vote to conduct a “comprehensive and Gavin Biggs - now numbers
in May passing an amendment study… to determine the cause [of 20 picture books in 5 levels!
to Mexico’s constitution. The SWEDEN: the] decline” in English proficiency
amendment strengthens citizen’s A motion put before the municipal nationally. Explore the magical world of picture
rights to language learning. council of Skurup, in the south Speaking at a seminar for English books, while developing thinking
The Christian Science Monitor of Sweden, proposes banning the Svaneholm Castle in Skurup, teachers in May, Aminuddin Awang skills, emotional intelligence
reports that the amendment speaking of any language except Sweden. cited a shortage of English teachers, and empathy.
imposes greater standards of Swedish in schools, even during along with a lack of motivation from
accountability on the federal breaks. The motion, brought in students, as a pass in English is not
government, and clarifies what June by a group of councillors from CHINA: required for Malaysian Certificate
citizens should have access to in right-wing nationalist party Sweden Three Chinese recruitment of Education exams.
terms of language learning. This Democrats, states that “it should agents have been sentenced to Awang was responding to an
means those going to court to be Swedish that is normally used one to year in prison for bringing Education Ministry directive
The Thinking Train titles are
helbling.com/english also available as Big Books:
ideal for shared reading.
8 September 2019 editorial@elgazette.com 9