ELT World News

India: Primary schools to convert ‘fearsome’ English into a friendly language

In an effort to get rid of the fear attached to English language learning among Gujarati medium students in rural areas, suggests the India Express, the Surat District Primary Education Officer (DPEO) has ordered schools to observe Saturdays as English Day.
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Australia: A report blasts bilingual policy changes

Under the Territory Government’s controversial changes to bilingual education, all students will learn in English only for the first four hours of the day from next year, notes ABC. A report released in Canberra by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies states there is no evidence to suggest the policy will [...]

South Korea: A mature conscript teaching English

Tom Jang has been teaching English in a community center in Ilsan 1-dong in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province as part of his military service and is a celebrity in the neighborhood as a rather mature soldier.
According to The Chosun, he is teaching five classes, for adults as well as children. In addition to inexpensive tuition, [...]

Malaysia: Computer labs to become English language labs

According to the New Straits Times, the Education Ministry will upgrade computer laboratories in schools to enable them to be used as English language laboratories, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. He said the use of technology would be capitalized for enhanced English teaching and learning in schools and suitable software would be [...]

China: 8D World aims to teach English language through gaming

A stealthy 8D World last year looked like Age of Empires for the Asian market. It turns out, hopwever, they’re teaching English as a foreign language, with a beta product launched this month.
The 8D World product is a fantastical online virtual world called Wiz World, designed to let players interact in spoken English with computer-generated [...]

India: Multiple factors for scoring difficulty in English

The Times of India notes that a decline in reading habits, a weak foundation vis-a-vis understanding and the lack of expressive skills are the prime factors that continue to make English language a difficult subject to score at the higher secondary certificate (HSC, Class XII) level, feel academicians.
It doesn’t help matters that teachers, who [...]

Ireland: African pupils more likely to be bullied

African children are more likely to be bullied at Irish schools than Eastern Europeans, a new report claims. According to the Irish Independent, ‘Adapting to Diversity: Irish Schools and Newcomer Students‘, compiled by the Economic and Social Research Institute, surveyed 1,200 primary and second-level schools across the country.
Most newcomers do not have English as [...]

England: Teaching overcoming the language barrier

Today’s schoolchildren are growing up surrounded by examples of people making their way in another country and speaking another language, namely English, exclaims the Independent.
A recent report from the CBI, the employers’ organisation, has shown that around three-quarters of companies look for recruits with some foreign language skills, and are likely to demand more [...]

Swaziland: Brigadier Fonono joins the siswati/English language debate

For a number of years now, English has remained a passing subject and despite calls from certain sections of society for a review of this, things have remained unchanged, notes the Observer.
Retired Army Commander and cultural connoisseur Brigadier Fonono Dube said it was irrational that English remained a passing subject when siswati was the [...]

Malaysia: KBU launches TESOL programme

According to the Sun Daily, the Language Centre of KBU International College (KBU) will be launching a new programme that will interest those who plan to embark on a career in English language teaching.
Ng Swee Lin, Head of KBU’s Language Centre, said the demand for certified English language teachers will be great because, in [...]