Immigrants to get Expanded ‘Free’ English Lessons

[Trevortt]

The Labour government is to prioritise free English classes in England on migrants “who have long-term needs” - courtesy of British taxpayers, who are now called upon to pay for these lessons for immigrants coming in to take British jobs.According to New Labour’s announcement, the “tuition will be free for those on benefits,” (an admission that many of these migrants are not even contributing economically in the first place) and are furthermore “aimed at long-standing residents whose English is still poor.”

Other priority groups identified by the government include mothers from unemployed families and those “raising particular issues for community cohesion” - in other words, those migrants whose refusal to learn English is creating tension amongst native British folk.

Demand and spending on the English for Speakers of Other Languages (Esol) courses trebled between 2001 and 2005, officials say. A typical Esol course costs around £900.

Labour’s Skills Secretary, John Denham, said English language skills were vital to promoting community cohesion. “Now we must go further and ensure that the priority is to reach long-term residents for whom poor English is a real barrier to integration in work or in the community.”

Under proposals now being put out for consultation, the current funding structure would be changed to give local authorities a say in who receives free English language lessons.

At the moment, Esol courses are funded by the Learning and Skills Council, (LSC) which passes money to colleges running the courses.

The LSC would continue to fund the courses but would liaise with local councils to decide which groups to prioritise.

Decisions would be based on local needs and a new set of national priorities for Esol, which include:

* legal residents expected to stay in the country long-term
* excluded women, particularly those with children under 16
* parents or carers in families with multiple problems
* those identified as raising particular issues for community cohesion
* people with low levels of literacy in their own language
* those with no secondary education
* refugees
* asylum seekers still in the country beyond six months awaiting a decision on their status or who cannot return home.



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