The language of cuts
WORKERS, JULY 2007 ISSUE
The government is planning to cut access to free English classes, contradicting its claim that a top priority is to provide courses in English for Speakers of Other Languages, known as ESOL courses. In response, the University and College Union (UCU) says that the prohibitive costs will result in far fewer people taking English classes.
A recent survey by the National Association for Teaching English and other Community Languages to Adults showed that at least 40 per cent of learners will be adversely affected by restrictions to free ESOL courses. The fee contribution for a fairly minimal length quality course of six hours a week will be around £426, while a notional 'full-time' programme of around 450 hours will cost around £990. And on top of that there are exam costs and often childcare expenses.
The Commission on Integration and Cohesion report, Our Shared Future, says, "a lack of language or employment skills and difficulties accessing English classes" are two of the barriers faced by migrants trying to integrate. It also calls for ESOL funding to be "reconsidered; and that more innovative ways of providing ESOL need to be looked at".
UCU contributed to the original commission consultation and welcomed its finding that "it is only right that those who benefit most from migration, including businesses that employ migrant labour, should pay a contribution towards the cost of ESOL training". But UCU said it was disappointed that the report does not call on the government to inisist that employers meet the cost.
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said, "If the government really wants people settling in this country to be English speakers it must realise it has to invest the money. It also needs to realise that this is actually investment and not a cost. We need a proper joined-up approach from government to ensure that no individual requiring ESOL is debarred through long waiting lists or an inability to pay.
"Failure to invest will result in embarrassment for the ministers who have backed English classes for migrants and an economy that is held back because employees cannot speak the same language. I cannot believe we find ourselves in this ridiculous situation. ESOL classes were a success story.
"The prime minister and chancellor were exhorting non-English speakers to go on courses and they joined in their thousands. The economy and society benefit from people being able to speak English and it is about time the employers were made to do their bit and help with the funding. We have learnt that the voluntary option does not work and it is time they were forced to foot some of the bill as well as reap the benefits."