Today’s election commentary looks at the Alberta Liberal proposal to increase ‘English as a Second Language’ funding by $76 million per year.
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The Alberta Liberal Party is proposing to improve ‘English as a Second Language’ (ESL) services in three ways: a 50% increase in ESL funding for Alberta schools; a $20 million increase in adult ESL programs delivered by immigrant/refugee serving agencies or in the workplace. The total cost of these initiatives is estimated at $76 million annually (Alberta Liberal Party, 2012).
ESL affects relatively few Albertans many of whom are not yet citizens or even voting. ESL is not the kind of issue that usually gets much attention during election campaigns. Despite its low profile, ESL is still a critically important program to support. Proficiency in the English language is a key to educational and employment success for both adult newcomers and their children.
More support for adult ESL learners is welcome and needed especially when the federal government is cutting back immigrant and refugee settlement services. Learning English while on the job is especially cost-effective in a province dealing with growing labour shortages.The Liberal plan to significantly boost ESL funding for schools is likely to have the biggest long-term pay-off for Alberta society. Most children who require ESL instruction in schools are from refugee backgrounds many of them arriving from conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East. Civil conflict may also have resulted in an interruption of their formal education. They may also be dealing with the aftermath of trauma or even torture. Without specialized supports, including help learning the English language, these children and teenagers risk of falling behind their Canadian peers. They are at higher risk of dropping out of school and in some cases vulnerable to being recruited into gangs. The good news is that school age children are often able to learn a new language more easily than adults.
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