ATL COMMENT ON GOVERNMENT U-TURN ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE LESSONS

4 January 2008

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said:

“We are pleased the Government has changed its mind and recognised the importance of English language lessons.  

“But the plan to target resources is an invidious one, and will lead to a two-tier system of deserving and undeserving migrants.   If the Government believes being able to speak English is a key to integration, it seems strange to penalise migrants who are in work and are already trying to integrate and contribute to their communities. 

“Employers have a very poor track record in providing language training – and indeed any training for their staff - so it seems foolish to base plans on them funding English lessons.”