Page 8 - ELG2011 Nov Issue 473

GLOBAL NEWS . NEWS

AUSTRALIA: President Tsai Ing-wen called for greater clarity on how Cyprus’s English-medium high States and the parents, as well as
Australia’s federal budget in announced the Bilingual by 2030 subjects such as chemistry would schools to progress to a public- the community, to decide what
October included a surprise initiative in 2018, and the Ministry be taught in English under the sector English-medium university they teach in what language. We
announcement that an English global of Education recently announced plan. She added that, “if teachers without the need to take a Greek- have not prevented learning in
language test would be introduced it was tripling the number of really feel strongly about this, they language national entrance exam. English. If they want to do it at
for applicants for a “Subclass 300 foreign native English speaker need to make their voices heard.” the beginning itself or later, no
Prospective Marriage” spousal visa. teachers it recruits for state ....................................... problem.”
This visa – which currently schools. But the Straits Times MINISTRY OF Kasturirangan’s comments came
costs at least $8,000 and typically reported Eric Chao Yang, an CYPRUS: SPORT AND YOUTH shortly before India’s Minister of
can take two years to process – perspective education consultant and English The Parliament of Cyprus in early EDUCATION, CULTURE, Education Ramesh Pokhriyal
allows the fiancé of an Australian teacher in Taiwan’s schools, as September debated a Bill to participated in the virtual launch
to move there to marry their saying that while he agreed with promote English-medium public ceremony for EnglishPro, a free
partner. There will also be an the aims of the plan, it can’t be sector universities on the island, English language teaching app, at
English test for the sponsor of a achieved in anything like a decade. which Education Minister Education Minister the English and Foreign Languages
Prospective Marriage visa Gazette news editor Matt Salusbury’s The government, says Yang, “is Prodromos Prodromou said would Prodromos Prodromou University, which developed the
applicant if the sponsor is a non- saying 2030 because [the slogan] allow Cyprus to, “gradually ....................................... app.
English speaking permanent selection of ELT news from is catchy and draws attention, but become an international regional
resident. these things usually take a few centre for university-level INDIA:
Federal budget documents around the world decades to take shape.” Retired development.” Following the Indian
promised that the move, “will English teacher Lee Tsian-lin Until now, most of Cyprus’s government’s recent adoption of
help support English language English-medium university a National Education Policy
acquisition and enhance social number that IND staff normally expansion has been in the private recommending teaching in PONTIFICAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
cohesion and economic brought in for the summer sector, with 30,000 international “mother tongue or local language”
participation.” OF EDUCATION student surge were deployed students on the island, compared rather than English “where
Shadow Minister for SAUDI ARABIA MINISTRY elsewhere. The University of BANGLADESH ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOLS FORUM OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, GOVERNMENT OF TAIWAN to 8,000 in 2012. possible,” its architect clarified
Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Twente told Dutch News they The Bill, which Prodromou that the policy was “not
Giles, condemned the new test, were seeing last-minute said he hoped, “is approved as mandatory.”
which he said came, “without any applications, and were expecting soon as possible,” by Parliament, Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan,
warning, consultation or more up to the start of the includes the same level of tuition chancellor of the Central
explanation,” adding that, academic year in late September. fees for Cypriot, other EU and University of Rajasthan and NIIT
“English proficiency isn’t a test of Jacqueline Neumann, of IND’s non-EU international students. University, told Outlook magazine
whether someone’s in love.” Business Team, speculated that Earlier protests by parents The Cyprus Mail said it would that the policy has, “given all the
Minister of Education Hamad international students had either objecting to full student fees President Tsai Ing-wen allow students graduating from flexibility to the schools, the Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan
gone “elsewhere,” can’t travel,
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY said that there will be new Dutch consulates are closed), or reported speakers from the Forum
for online learning
bin Mohammed Al-Asheikh
can’t apply for a visa (as some
The Daily Star newspaper
have deferred entry and will turn
curricula for the next academic
year, with “digital education” to be
as alleging that many schools
up later in the year.
taught from the fourth year of
Final numbers are not yet
banned students from online
primary school, and a greater
officer told the Gazette that new
paid “full tuition”, despite many
emphasis on science and maths in available, a Ministry of Justice press classes if their parents had not
the primary school curriculum. figures for student visa applications parents suffering severe financial
He added that the task of are published in November. hardship during the coronavirus
“improving secondary education” lockdown.
in the Kingdom would begin in Forum president AKM Our award-winning series - written by Herbert Puchta,
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Andrew Giles, Shadow Some school subjects will own premises or had to rent their emotional intelligence and empathy.
Minister for Multicultural continue to be delivered online campuses. There were also calls
Affairs even after the coronavirus for “school management
....................................... pandemic ends. ....................................... committees” to be set up, through
....................................... which parents could input into
SAUDI ARABIA: BANGLADESH: quality assurance.
Saudi Arabia’s state schools will NETHERLANDS: Parents of students at English- .......................................
start to teach English as a subject Figures for student visa medium schools, organised as the
from the first grade of primary applications for the Netherlands, Bangladesh English Medium TAIWAN:
school starting from the 2021 released at the end of August, are Schools Forum, held a press The governments’ “Bilingual by
academic year, Minister of believed to be around 50 per cent conference in Bangladesh’s 2030” plan, which aims to have
Education Hamad bin Mohammed down on last year, according to an capital, Dhaka, in September, to the island speaking English within
Al-Asheikh announced at the end Immigration and Naturalisation demand that between 30 and 60 a decade (see www.elgazette.
of September. Service (IND) press release. per cent of tuition fees be waived com/global-perspective-taiwan/)
Speaking to state broadcaster This summer’s 8,000 for classes that are currently only has drawn criticism from teachers
Al-Ekhbariya TV, Al-Asheikh applications were such a small being held online. for being too ambitious. helbling.com/english
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8 November 2020 editorial@elgazette.com 9