Campaign over funding for English classes for low-paid workers
The government is proposing to end the universal entitlement to free ESOL courses from August this year, which would primarily affect low-paid migrant workers who could not afford to pay for English lessons. This has led to a great deal of concern among a wide range of people and organisations who believe that the decision does not lie in the country's best interests, and would be counter-productive given the government’s wish for greater integration between communities.
The WEA is supporting a campaign on this issue co-ordinated by the University and College Union, which has also received backing from within the Trade Union movement and from a wide range of education bodies. The campaign also organised a lobby of Parliament, which took place on 28th February. It is also asking concerned citizens to write to their MP using a model letter. The lobby follows on from an Early Day Motion of MPs concerned about the future of ESOL provision, which has so far attracted the support of 137 MPs. The Motion that these MPs have supported expresses concern over the “low paid and vulnerable migrant workers [who] will lose access to ESOL learning” and calls on the government to reinstate appropriate funding.
As a provider of a significant number of ESOL classes around the country, the WEA also wrote in December to Bill Rammell, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning and Further & Higher Education, expressing its concern at the decision to charge fees for these classes, and pointing out some of the likely unwanted consequences of the decision.
This document explains the lobby of parliament and includes a link to a model letter for people to send to their MPs.
Links
Early Day Motion number 383 - showing the full motion and which MPs are supporting it.
Link to the University and College Union campaign on funding for courses in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), which the WEA has signed up to.
View Article
Link to the University and College Union's wider campaign challenging the government's funding priorities for further and adult education, which the WEA also agrees with. View Article
Link to WEA News issue 12, which includes a letter to Chancellor Gordon Brown highlighting concerns about funding for adult education  WEA News Issue 12
Link to the WEA's response to the Leitch report on the UK's long-term adult skills needs. View Report
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campaign for funding