Page 8 - ELG2001 Jan Issue 468

El•Gazette 468.qxp_El•Gazette 468 08/01/2020 15:57 Page 8

GLOBAL NEWS .

USA:
Provision for English Language
Learners (ELLs) in Chicago’s
public school system was included global
in the terms of the Tentative
Agreement between the Chicago
Teachers Union (CTU) and
Chicago Public Schools, which
ended an 11-day strike by 25,000
of the Windy City’s teachers in perspective
November.
Chicago is the third-largest
school district in the US, with
one-fifth of its 300,000 students Gazette news editor Matt Salusbury’s
designated ELLs. Under the
Tentative Agreement, there will
be, “more support for our English selection of ELT news from
Language Learner and special
education students,” according to around the world
CTU vice-president Stacey Davis
Gates, with more teachers
dedicated to ELLs. Teachers who explained that the school officially NIGERIA:
take an ELL “endorsement opened in academic year 2019- THIRD AGE A critically-acclaimed Nigerian
program,” leading to an ELL 2020 with its “first cohort of film nominated for this year’s
specialist qualification, will also children from Nursery to Year 4” Oscars in the Best International
have half their tuition fees (Year 4 is for pupils aged eight to Feature category has been
reimbursed as part of the deal. nine.) BSV’s head of the disqualified for having too much
Other concessions won in the reception department (for four- to English in it. Lionheart – Nigeria’s
strike include a nurse and social five-year-olds) told BNN that all first Oscar entry – has around 77
worker in every school, more classes would be in English Free classes at the Fáilte minutes of English dialogue and
money for teacher recruitment, and medium, except for Lithuanian Isteach English teaching just 11 minutes in the Igbo
$35 million to reduce class sizes. and Spanish language classes. All programme language. Hollywood’s Academy
the current teaching staff are of Motion Picture Arts and
PIXABAY qualified in the UK with previous branches across the Republic of Sciences rules that films in this
experience of teaching the
Ireland.
new category (formerly Best
English National Curriculum. Anne Dempsey, communica- Foreign-Language Feature) must
Primary school classes for Year tions manager of Third Age, include a, "predominantly non-
5 and Year 6 will open in 2020, which runs the Fáilte Isteach English dialogue track". Nigeria’s
with a secondary school opening English teaching programme, told literati have pointed out that
the following year. the Gazette that the programme Nigerian English is their country’s
The city of Chicago started in 2006 in County Meath official language.
A feature film from Austria,
(North of Dublin) after a South
LITHUANIA: American woman was spotted out titled Joy, which tells the story of
shopping, helped by her young
The first British international BRITISH SCHOOL VILNIUS son. The programme went
school to open in Lithuania has national in 2008.
been officially recognised by the After several days’ training,
Lithuanian Government. The tutors can receive support WIKIPEDIA/GENEVIEVE NNAJI
British School Vilnius (BSV), through refreshers and online
located in the Baltic state’s Children reading at the forums. According to Dempsey,
capital, secured government British School Vilnius the mixed ability classes of small
approval on 30 October to teach groups or one-to-one are, “very
the English National Curriculum, person-centred,” and reflect
as taught in England. The BSV’s IRELAND: student needs. Classes can
headmaster, Andrew Prosser, told A non-profit organisation whose include CV preparation and
the Gazette that this recognition mission includes, “promoting the employment assistance. Tutors
will “enable us to cater for both contribution of older people,” tend to be in the age range of 40s
Lithuanian and expat families.” recently began a new academic to 70s and are “mostly middle-
The Baltic News Network year with free conversational aged,” says Dempsey. The migrant
(BNN) website reported that, English classes for over 3,800 students are younger and she adds The film poster for the
prior to the recognition, the BSV migrants, including Syrian that, “the inter-generational Toronto International Film
operated as an “establishment of refugees. They are taught by 1,100 contact is important.” Festival appearance of
informal education.” Prosser trained volunteer tutors in 132 Lionheart

8 January 2020