Page 9 - ELG2009 Sep Issue 472

GLOBAL NEWS . NEWS

LEBANON: “corruption had taken hold of the AUSTRALIA: girl’s boyfriend and is believed to who make up the base of Modi’s
On 4 August, a massive explosion Immigration Department,” to Detective Inspector Robert have attempted a murder-suicide. ruling BJP party.
in the Beirut harbour area left huge such an extent that if one corrupt Alison of the Sydney police has Inspector Alison said the dead ‘Local languages,’ many of
parts of the Lebanese capital in global official could not be found to appealed to the public for girl’s family was doing well, given which have tens of millions of
ruins. The next morning at 8.00am administer an English test, information surrounding the the situation. speakers, include the myriad official
three Syrian girls, Aseel, Hadeel another could be substituted in death of a Chinese student, “It is horrific. I really do feel for languages of India’s 28 states, to
and Lujain, who live in Shatila their place. One immigrant paid according to the Sydney Morning the [Pan] family. The distance whom responsibility for education
refugee camp, just 5 kilometres the conspirators administering the Herald. being so far away makes it even is to a large extent devolved.
from the blast, turned up to their test $1,500. Nineteen-year-old Chinese more difficult for them. But we In south India in particular,
classes. ‘We won’t let this chance perspective Marcus Alexander, Carlos student Liqun Pan had been living are working closely with them,” education is in the local language
slip.’ Aseel explains. ‘We know we Robinson (both immigration in south Sydney on a student visa he told the newspaper. or English, with the states
have to work harder than a lot of officials) and Santo Castro for several years and was studying ....................................... historically ignoring – or defying –
students. And we will.’ Castillo were described by at a language school in the city’s instructions front the government
The three girls are all students Chapple as the, “principle movers Elizabeth Street, understood to be INDIA: in New Delhi to teach in Hindi.
at Bishopstrow Online, set up in Gazette news editor Matt Salusbury’s of the scheme,” and received La Lingua Language School. At the end of the July, Indian The ‘mother tongue’ or ‘local
March by independent boarding sentences of between three and Following a tip-off from a Prime Minister Narendra Modi language’ policy, is part of a
school Bishopstrow College for selection of ELT news from four years. Others received fines, neighbour, Ms Pan was found announced a new national national effort to shake up
International Students, in time for suspended sentences or dead in her accommodation in educational policy of using the education, including devoting an
the new term on March 30. around the world conditional discharges. Those Sydney’s Wolli Creek “mother tongue” or “local extra six per cent of GDP for
Children check in online from who are Dominican or Honduran neighbourhood in June. language” in primary schools, education nationally, and removing
their home countries, including nationals now face deportation. Pan’s body was found shortly rather than English, “where some of the pressure placed on
Russia, China, Mexico and Ministry of Justice/Labour Ministry rise to 300 a year, according to a years for those in highly skilled after an unnamed male Chinese possible”. exams for 16 and 18 year olds.
Kazakhstan. Following a request plan to retrain inmates for jobs China News Agency report. occupations and allows a change national, also on a student visa, Opposition Congress Party
for assistance, Bishopstrow when they leave prison. Hiring more native speakers of jobs – will require applicants to was discovered alive with, spokesman Dr Sharma Mohamed
Online was able to include the The idea was proposed at a July has the stated aim of achieve six times more “points” “multiple fractures and head argued that English gave India, PIXABAY
girls from Shatila Camp. meeting between Justice Minister strengthening the English skills of based on salaries than are RED LION CHAMBERS wounds,” on the footpath outside “an edge over other countries in
Despite living in tiny, damp Somsak Thepsutin and Labour Taiwanese students and currently required. To reach the Pan’s housing complex. He is employability.”
apartments, which they share Minister Chatu Mongol Sonakul, sharpening “the country’s maximum number of points, a currently in an induced coma at a While the announcement
with eight to ten people, in a at which an agreement was signed competitiveness.” The Ministry teacher would need to be on 100 city hospital. Witnesses saw him avoided mentioning the Hindi
crowded camp housing 40,000 between the two ministries, aimed claims that a “growing number of million won annually (£64,000), fall from Pan’s building and language (India’s other official
people in a square kilometre, at tackling unemployment among schools” have expressed an far above many entry-level Judge Roger Chapple of the Robert Alison said he was “very, language) by name, the policy is Indian schoolchildren are
Aseel, Hadeel and Lujan have all former prisoners. interest in acquiring native teachers’ wages. Grand Court of the Cayman very lucky to be alive.” The man thought to appeal to voters in the often taught in local
been awarded “Student of the Some 80-90 per cent of inmates speaker staff. Applicants with just enough Islands has been identified as the dead ‘Hindi heartland’ of north India, languages or English
Week” at Bishopstrow Online. who were retrained in 2019 have National Pingtung Senior High points for an F-2-7 will only get
Supported by scholarships, and already found work. While still in School, which has already visas for one or two years. Younger
logging into Bishopstrow daily prison, inmates received benefited from native speakers via applicants will also be penalised.
from Shatila’s Alsama Teenage certificates enabling them to the scheme, told Focus Taiwan Currently, foreign teachers can HELBLING ENGLISH
Centre, they are doing well. practice as carpenters, that foreign teachers taking part upgrade from a short-term work
The three girls recently construction workers and in the cultural life of the school visa for a specific job, the E-7-4
stunned staff and students at electricians. The two ministries outside class has “emboldened” visa, to the F-2-7 while in Korea. Communication made easy
Bishopstrow with their joint have a target of 1,840 prisoners to students in practicing their Under the new rules, in nearly all
presentation on cricket. be trained by the end of financial English for “everyday life”. cases, they will have to return to AMERICAN
Unbeknownst to Bishopstrow, year 2020. their home country and start their studio
Aseel, Hadeel and Lujan were The Corrections Department application for an F-2-7 from
already members of Lebanon’s has already been tasked with there.
first female cricket team, and play selecting prisoners “with the .......................................
six hours a week. potential to teach other inmates,” WIKIMEDIA COMMONS SPACE TO LEARN
according to the Bangkok Post. CAYMAN American Studio is the exciting new six-level course for adult learners, with an innovative lesson-based approach to topics.
ISLANDS:
BISHOPSTROW COLLEGE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS TAIWAN: National Pingtung Senior among nine people sentenced to The Studio ‘space’ encourages students to be creative with language and provides teachers with clear, easy-to-teach lessons.
.......................................

Three immigration officials are
A significant increase in the
prison in July in the British
High School
Author team: Lindsay Cland昀eld, Robert Campbell, Rob Metcalf, Philip Kerr, Rebecca Robb Benne.
Carribean territory for their part
number of native English speakers .......................................
teaching in Taiwanese state
in a “fraud and bribery”
island’s ambitious blueprint for
New visa regulations announced
language tests.
Aseel, Hadeel and Lujain
by the Justice Ministry in July are
Last year, the three were found
Developing Taiwan into a
practicing cricket schools is planned as part of the SOUTH KOREA: conspiracy involving English
....................................... bilingual nation. likely to mean foreign English guilty of running, between 2015
Taiwan’s Foreign English language teachers – who are and 2016, fraudulent Department
THAILAND: Teacher Recruitment Project, in usually on low starting salaries – of Immigration English tests
Some of the estimated 2000 foreign place since 2014, currently will struggle to settle in the which are needed for immigration
prisoners in Thai prisons could be recruits 80 native speaker teachers country in the long term. to the Caymans.
mobilised to teach English to other a year. In July, the Ministry of From December, Korea’s F-2-7 In summing up, sentencing
prisoners as part of a new joint Education announced this would visa – which lasts for up to five judge Roger Chapple said that,
helbling.com/english

8 September 2020 editorial@elgazette.com 9