Twenty-five per cent of adult learning places have disappeared over recent years, representing 1.3 million of the total. English courses or ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) for asylum seekers, refugees and new migrants have been hit hard. Colleges now report waiting times of up to two years. Should social landlords be concerned?
A change to ESOL rules removing provision for asylum seekers is hampering progress. Integrating and playing an active part in society is becoming a practical and unfriendly challenge facing newcomers. Odd, when ‘earning’ a place in society is promoted by the government from the prime minister down.
If the priority of landlords is to get the day job right, surely another is to support communities where people have a stake? No easy task in the best of times, but much harder if new groups are denied access to learn the language of the country.
In a three-year joint project, called Opening Doors, the Housing Associations’ Charitable Trust (Hact) and the Chartered Institute of Housing worked with 11 housing partners to improve services for refugees and migrants. Two of the partners, Longhurst Homes and St Vincent’s HA, were proactive in alleviating ESOL problems in their areas. The work showed that social landlords are in a unique position to help ensure their tenants are less affected than they otherwise might be by the crisis in ESOL provision.
If we are serious about tackling the social and economic issues facing us, don’t migrants and established BME communities also need a voice?
ESOL offers people confidence, self-esteem and the ability to break free from social isolation. How can the government’s cuts in language provision make sense?
Sarfraz Hussain is a projects director with Hact and a member of the HCA’s Equality and Diversity Board Advisory Group
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Readers' comments (4)
Martin Chadwick | 11/09/2009 12:12 pm
Lack of English for members of BME households remains a barrier to equitable access to services. For example, where households are offered grant work to improve their property, there may be a succession of different contractors and inspectors. Each of these visitors to the home needs to communicate with the person at home, often about quite technical issues. Whilke this may not be a barrier to a social landlord, Housing Associations often contain Home Improvement Agencies who work with private sector householders. Even where the HIA has the resources to communicate effectively, the contractors may not. Any support that improves the ability to speak English while respecting cultural differences is invaluable.
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Ann Sutcliffe | 11/09/2009 12:15 pm
Agree strongly that refugees and asylum seekers need access to support to learn English, and that this will help integration
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patricia mccabe | 14/09/2009 4:25 pm
Here in Birmingham we have had a proud track record of good quality language training for refugees and asylum seekers. This needs to be protected - the whole debate around 'multi culturalism' and integration is undermined by lack of provision to help people learn English. Instead, not speaking English becomes a stick to beat people with - at the same time as funds to support translation and interpretation are being questioned. I will be discussing how we can assist communities further with my own Housing Association and our partners in established and emergent communities. Thanks for flagging the issue up.
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michaela | 15/09/2009 10:03 pm
Learning English is very important for all new arrivals and free access to Esol should be easiliy and quickly available so that people can participate fully in society. Without Speaking, reading and writing English it is imposible to integrate and people can neither contribute their skills nor access services which they need. as well as college courses we need to support people to make social contacts and develop friendships; too often new arrivals met few English people in an informal setting and remain isolated only mixing with others from their country of origin. Social landlords could play a very useful role in providing meeting places for informal groups such as mother and toddler groups, youth groups etc, NOT just for refugees and asylum seekers but for all their tenants and people living near their housing - people meeting each other who have something in common such as small children is a great way to break down barriers and dispel prejudice.
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