Greens Support ESOL Demo

17th April 2007

Members of Sheffield Green Party will be joining students, lecturers and other groups on a demonstration in Sheffield this Saturday (21st April)at 10.30 on Devonshire Green about new funding restrictions on English for Speakers of Other Languages. Many migrant workers and asylum seekers depend on these classes to get the basic language skills they need to live and work here. Take-up of ESOL has risen in recent years and there is often a shortage of places on courses.

Proposed changes include:

• No more entitlement to free English lessons
• Only people receiving means-tested benefits and tax credits will get their tuition fees back
• Asylum seekers aged 19+ will no longer be automatically eligible for publicly funded FE provision

Green Party spokesperson and lecturer Graham Wroe said "These proposals will hit those that most need help hardest. The changes to ESOL funding mean that many people who need to learn English will have to pay for lessons themselves. The government thinks employers and migrant worker agencies should pay but there is no mechanism in place to ensure they do.

"Asylum seekers are not allowed to work, but want to learn English to help integrate into our society. It is ridiculous to demand payments for English lessons that they will obviously not be able to afford. These people have experienced enough trauma in their lives, fleeing war or persecution in their home country. Surely we can provide them with the basic necessity of English lessons to help them make a new life here?"

The local campaign has persuaded 2 local MPs to sign the EDM in support of Esol- Nick Clegg for the Lib Dems and David Blunkett for Labour- but the other Labour MP's have so far supported the proposals.

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