thanks for posting this! great to see students and teachers campaigning together and really empowering to see students making demands and having a voice.
long live learning languages - opening up worlds to us and within us!

Yeah, it's great isn't it? Nearly every day we hear someone from the government going on about how people settling in Britain must learn English, yet the government is taking away the means for them to do this. I suppose that the reasoning is that once people are forced to attend English classes, these can all be put out to the private sector and students will have to pay through the nose for them.

Shame on you, New Labour, and big cheer for all the students and teachers who took part in this lobby.

We had over 100 students and staff from Tower Hamlets College at the lobby. In addition to what you've said George Galloway chaired a lively discussion in the Palmerston room with our students about what ESOL meant to them and how we could get the govt to change their minds.

While attending a DfES Consultation meeting in Birmingham, the following issues where raised:

Relating to the implications of the changes in funding for asylum seekers, there were quite a few case studies brought up. One of which was a young man from Afghanistan that came to the UK as an asylum seeker with little English and is now studying for a degree at Coventry university.

Two learners froma Birmingham college spoke of their experiences in Afghanistan before seeking asylum in Britain. The one spoke of how he came to the UK because he had heard that the UK was a country that had respect for human rights. He said that without education and knowledge of the English language it is just like he is blind and deaf. It was mentioned the Taliban had taken away his right to an education and that now the British government was doing the same. He also spoke of his experiences, how he had been imprisoned by the Taliban and then mistakenly by the US army. He mentioned that he felt that if his right to an education was taken away it would feel that he was imprisoned again.

A section from the report that was commissioned by what was the DfEE ‘Breaking the Language Barriers’ (2000) was quoted by an ESOL lectuer which reads:

‘ There is also a significant national waste of potential in failing to make the best use of people with professional qualifications and experience, for example in areas of skill shortage, like the medical professions, who are cut off from employment by their lack in fluency in English’

An example of an asylum seeker was cited who studied English in a beginner’s class at an FE college and then went on to teach a shortage subject (numeracy) at the same college a few years later. The individual began the college ESOL course after only being in the country two weeks. It was mentioned that he may not have progressed as rapidly had he not been entitled to English tuition from the beginning. It was suggested that this was an excellent example of public funds well spent.


An ESOL lecturer who works with the 14-16 year old ESOL learners mentioned that despite the fact that these measures will not apply to under 18s this will have a huge impact on children in asylum-seeking families. If parents are not entitled to language provision but their children are, the burden of translation and interpretation will inevitably fall on the children. Children often take on an adult role, often because they have better language skills than their parents, and are forced to engage in a number of inappropriate scenarios for example interpreting results of sensitive medical tests relating to rape or torture. It was mentioned that this would not be in line with ‘Every Child Matters’.


Maria

Great to see these pictures of ESOL students having their voices heard. Long may it continue.
Thanks for posting the photos.

I have secured a debate on ESOL in the House of Commons for Wednesday eveing at 7 pm after the debate on Trident. The public gallery is open and likely to have spaces. Do come to hear and see the minister's reply.

Andrew Pelling