to not have a huge amount of sympathy for those protesting about having to pay for EFL english lessons

[porcamiseria]

thats all. it was on the news today. tough luck, there is a limit to what the country can provide, healthcare and education, fine. English lessons, no. I cant actually believe they had the gall to protest

Tough one.
If I went to live in another country I wouldn't expect them to teach me the language for free. However, there are alot of people in this country that treat people very badly if they don't speak English. If people are going to live here (for a whole host of reasons that are probably a different thread) then its probably better for society as a whole if they speak English.

Not saying that EFL courses should be free, but people with poor English can mean huge costs to public services for translation fees - in hospitals, police stations, councils etc and can prevent people finding jobs so being able to better support themselves. Perhaps EFL subsidies would cost less than translation costs and better benefit the economy as a whole?

very good point mrs K

YABU. I would prefer to pay out for immigrants to learn English than for them to continue filling the appalling ghettoes I see in my town. the only thing I'm worried about is the classes not being taught to a high enough standard.

Our local school runs 'women-only' English classes and they are already causing a huge sir within the (huge) immigrant community here as women are starting to feel confident enough to speak out about the issues they face. The thought of the terrible things the women who come here unable to speak English and practically locked up in own little 'villages' with medieval customs have to go through is enough to make me feel physically sick.

I think one of the biggest problems causing lack of integration in UK is language. I don't have an idea how it can be funded but I think it should be a priority. I truly believe that if we can communicate more easily with some groups then we are on our way to solving so many problems.

But a lot of these people are asylum seekers, fleeing war zones. They very much want to learn English, and can't afford private lessons. The more English they learn, the more likely they are to get a job. Or to help their children with their homework. I used to work for a centre on a voluntary basis, teaching English. These people want to make a new life for themselves. They are eager to learn. I'd rather withdraw funding for white chavscum, frankly.

It has all been said above, but protesters are likely to be the educated Brits who can see how damaging it is to society to keep people, often vulnerable women, silent and cloistered away.

It strikes me as pretty unfair to let people come in good faith (which as a country, we do), and then refuse to teach them English. You can't blame someone who has met the criteria for a work or spousal visa if they need help learning English: if it's not set out as a requirement of entry we can't pretend people won't need help.

Agree with MrsK as well about it being cheaper in the long run.

When my parents came to England, my mum had the equivalent of A-level English (as a foreign language) and a transferable qualification, so she went to work. Her income paid for my dad to learn English, and until he, too, had an income, they lived in a bedsit. The cost of his studies made the difference between renting a studio flat or renting a bedsit with a coin-operated gas meter. They could have rented better accommodation, and relied on my dad picking English up as he went along, but they did not.

The issue is more ESOL than EFL. ESOL learners are living here long term, and may need to work and integrate, whereas EFL is for the likes of Aupairs who are here on short term visas and required to study, most often funded by the host family.

YABU - I too have worked with people who were desperate to learn English so they could integrate better and get jobs or help their children at school. (I was a voluntary interpretator/translator, but could have been paid a small fortune if I'd wanted to jump careers.) It is silly to spend so much money on translation when many would learn if they could.

FWIW I have lived in other countries and have been taught their languages for free (and these weren't rich countries either).

YABU. Assylum seekers are very, very poor, and should have help in learning English.

Other immigrants may be poor too. I guess it should depend on the income of the individuals.

FWIW, when I lived in Catalonia, I was entitled to free lessons in Catalan. I thought it was a very good idea. Bona nuit!

Who was it who was protesting? Just tried to find the story, to get the facts before I commented, and the only reference I could see was this:

www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/mar/24/lecturers-strike-pay-pensions

The government are still paying for classes - but some changes may mean lecturer redundancies, and it was they who were protesting. Unless I am missing something?

Otherwise, what MrsKwazii said.

I do believe anyone has the right to protest about anything and so they should. It is a democracy. You can't say;

"Oh protesting is fine, as long as it's in the interest of me".

some good feedback here, maybe I am BU.

Mrs Bonkers, if I was moving to another country, I would learn the language. I hate these English people who move to Spain to retire, without learning the language. That is disrespectful. But that suggests a plan, and the ability to access lessons. People in third world countries may need to flee at short notice, and may not have access to lessons.

I think it is the OP who needs an education. The protests have nothing to do with EFL at all. It is ESOL. ESOL is for refugees and asylum seekers. These are people who are fleeing their country because of political circumstances and who wish to integrate and find work so that they are not a burden on society. The plan is that these courses will no longer be funded. Can anybody honestly defend that. Is that in the interest of students or wider society ? Really ?