By Trishna Nazareth

Vancouver English Academy

Special to The Post 

 

In March 2014, ESL instructors at Vancouver Community College were told that funding for the college's English as a second language program will run out by the end of the year. About 72 staff members will receive layoff notices this month and the program itself will close in December. 

In 2012, the federal government announced it would cancel the Canada-B.C. Immigration Agreement, which funded ESL training. The BC government gave VCC about $8 million in one-time transitional funding to keep its ESL program open until the end of 2014, but there is no funding in place to keep ESL training alive for the years to come.

My name is Trishna Nazareth and I am an ESL Instructor at Vancouver Community College. I have been teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) for over 15 years. I believe that ESL training is crucial to our society as a whole. I am appalled at the lack of vision of the BC government regarding ESL and its impact on Canada’s present and future. 

Canada is a country of immigrants. According to Statistics Canada in 2012, approximately 31% of permanent residents in BC cannot communicate in either English or French. In fact, if we look at Canada as a whole, Statistics Canada states that only 11.5% of permanent residents have listed English as their mother tongue. 

In order to be able to migrate to Canada, most immigrants have to be highly qualified. Before even stepping on Canadian soil, these people spend thousands of dollars upgrading their English language skills. The issue here is not their education but the quality of instruction that they receive. It would be safe to assume that a majority of their local English language instructors belong to the same cultural background and have never even been to Canada. Obviously, this leads to a few issues such as learning pronunciation from non-native speakers or using textbooks that are either based on British or American culture.

In a press release in April 2012, Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of Advanced Education talked about free access to post-secondary ESL and she stated that: “We [the province of BC] want to make sure all British Columbians have the adult education opportunities they need to find jobs… This investment will help Canadian citizens and Canadian-born residents whose first language is not English improve their English language skills in order to move on to higher levels of education, skills and trades training and employment.” 

ESL instructors all over Canada are the first responders to this need of Canadian residents. By helping these individuals recognize and adapt to the differences between their home countries and Canada, we are giving them the tools ‘they need to find jobs, raise families, participate in their communities and fulfill their dreams’ (Yamamoto, 2012). 

To clarify, currently there are immigrant settlement services such as LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) in place for new immigrants that are being funded by the federal government. However, post-LINC ESL is the responsibility of the BC government. So by canceling funding the BC government is denying Canadian citizens and permanent residents of BC the right to an education and a better life.

ESL instructors’ help give all ESL students the tools they need to lead productive, successful lives and potentially contribute to our society. ESL MATTERS because an investment in ESL is an investment into BC’s Jobs Plan. Learn more at www.facebook.com/vancouverenglishacademy.

 

Trishna Nazareth (BA Honours Communication) holds a Doctorate of Natural Medicine and is TESL Certified