Biting The Hand That Feeds ELT

I'm posting this message (with permission) that NATECLA sent out to members last month about changes being proposed to the way that public sector ESOL is funded, because I think it deserves a wider audience.

Although I'm not directly affected by the proposals, it seems to me that everyone who works in ELT should be concerned about the way that the UK government is planning to slash funding to public sector ESOL, on point of principle.

I would therefore urge you to pass the word around amongst your collegues and students, sign the petition to defend ESOL, and join in with the campaign to oppose these short-sighted and discriminatory measures that will effectively bar some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the UK from accessing the English language skills they need to obtain employment and integrate within society.

Sue Lyon-Jones

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"Defend ESOL

Message from the Chair of NATECLA (National Association for Teaching English and Community Languages to Adults) to members and colleagues

Dear colleagues,

We believe that ESOL provision faces the most serious threat experienced to date, and we fear that many vulnerable and disadvantaged people will be unable to access the English classes they need, and so be unable to develop the language they need to integrate and play their part in society.

What has happened?

The Government published its strategy on skills 'Skills for Sustainable Growth' and 'Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth' in November 2010. The strategy proposes changes to funding for ESOL to start in 2011/12. We have checked our facts with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and believe the government’s proposal is as follows:

• Full funding will be only be available for ‘settled’, unemployed people on job-seeker’s allowance (JSA) or on employment support allowance (ESA), described as ‘active benefits’.

People on other benefits, described as ‘non-active benefits’, such as income support or on low income, or spouses of people on low incomes will not be eligible for fee remission. They will have to pay the co-funded rate of 50% of the full cost of the course.

• Asylum seekers and those on ‘Section 4’ support will be excluded from public funded for ESOL classes.

• There will be no public funding for ESOL in the workplace. Learners or employers will be expected to pay full cost.

• Since 2007, ESOL learners on benefits or low incomes have been able to get help towards fees from the discretionary Learner Support Fund for ESOL. We understand this will be unavailable in 2011-12.

• The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) grant, which provided support for-16 - 18 year old ESOL learners is being withdrawn.

• The weighting for ESOL and Literacy, which was reduced from 1.4 to 1.2 in 2009, is to be further reduced to 1.0.

Implications

These changes and reductions will drastically affect our learners, our local communities, our jobs and our profession.

Several colleges from around the country have already conducted a quick survey of ESOL learners on their courses. They find that, on average, only 30% ESOL students are on one of the ‘active benefits’ - JSA or ESA. 70% are on ‘non-active benefits’, such as income support, working tax credit, housing benefit or council tax benefit.

We predict devastating effects on ESOL provision, teachers' jobs and ESOL students with people on low wages, women and asylum seekers likely to be worst hit.

What can we do?

NATECLA will join with the Refugee Council, the University and Colleges Union (UCU) and other stakeholders to defend ESOL and prevent the end of publicly funded ESOL provision for adults and young people on low incomes and ‘non-active’ benefits.

For this we need the support of all our members because, not only will our students be adversely affected, but it will jeopardise all the work built up over the years to provide a trained ESOL teaching workforce and a well-resourced and positive learning experience for our students.

You can

• Sign up to Defend ESOL

• Take part in Defend ESOL activities - for example, collect evidence of the likely impact, send a letter to your MP, produce a learner case study of a learner, help learners produce learner testimonies. Templates will be on the NATECLA website www.natecla.org.uk early in January

• Come to the ESOL Alliance Planning meeting on January 12th 2010

• Join campaign meetings in your part of the country in January and February

• Encourage colleagues to join NATECLA and sign up to defend ESOL

It is essential for our students and the future of ESOL that we campaign hard and make our voices heard.

Patricia Sullivan

Chair, NATECLA"