Migrants who fail to improve their English could lose the chance to stay in Britain under new plans.
Writing in The Times on Monday, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron launched a new push to better integrate Muslim women into British society.
“Consider this: New figures show that some 190,000 British Muslim women—or 22 percent—speak little or no English despite many having lived here for decades,” Cameron said. “So it’s no surprise that 60 percent of women of a Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage are economically inactive.”
A new £20 million ($28.5 million) push to make English classes for migrants better will be matched by sanctions on those who do not improve their language skills, it was reported elsewhere in the paper. Officials said that from October, people arriving in Britain on spouse visas will have to develop their English, with a test after 2.5 years.
“There are no plans to remove migrants who fail to reach the required level, but it would be taken into account in any request to extend visas or apply for permanent residence,” one official told the paper.
Muslim group the Ramadhan Foundation accused Cameron of using Muslims as a “political football to score cheap points,” The Guardian reports. “The irony of the prime minister calling for more resources to help migrants learn English when his government cut the funding for English classes in 2011 has not been lost on many people,” it added.
Naz Shah, a Muslim member of parliament for the opposition Labour party, welcomed the plans: “Too many children in Bradford and elsewhere are starting school with no English because it is not spoken at home, and that has a knock-on effect for their education. Early years education starts in the home.” But Shah also pointed out that Cameron’s government has cut funding for English teaching.
A report released last year by the Muslim Council of Britain found that 6 percent of British Muslims said they struggle to speak English.
In his article, which comes in the wake of sex attacks allegedly committed by migrants in Cologne, Germany, and widespread concern about the impact of mass migration to Europe, Cameron warned of a “passive tolerance” that he says allows different communities to live “parallel” lives within western nations. “Segregation drives us apart, not together,” he said.
“We will never truly build one nation unless we are more assertive about our liberal values, clearer about the expectations we place on those who come to live here and build our country together, and more creative and generous in the work we do to break down barriers,” he said.
Cameron added that this new integration drive has a partial national security focus in combating domestic extremism: “I am not saying separate development or conservative religious practices directly cause extremism... But they can help a young person’s slide towards radicalization,” he said.
Bailey Wetzel/5th
ReplyDeleteI think that this new program in Britain will help the migrants for the better. Learning English will only make them more comfortable and help them have better chances having job. The alternative of,"Migrants who fail to improve their English could lose the chance to stay in Britain"(Newsweek), is a little to much. They shouldn't be forced to leave where they are making a living. They should just have to keep taking lessons until they are more fluent in English.
The program in Britain will now allow the migrants to learn English, which will be beneficial for everyone because 1. The migrants will feel way more comfortable living there and feel as if they are like the other people. 2. It will be easier for them to get jobs and maintain them. I also believe that the migrants "who fail to improve their English could lose the chance to stay in Britain" is way too far. Regardless of any person situation and learning abilities, it is extremely hard to learn a brand new language, let alone become fluent in it. If it's the best of their abilities, they should be able to stay no matter what.
ReplyDeleteAlle Turk/P4
I think that this new program that immigrants are required to learn is too much to ask for. "Officials said that from October, people arriving in Britain on spouse visas will have to develop their English, with a test after 2.5 years" (Lowe) I understand if Britain wants to keep their cultural aspect more united; but, requiring people to learn English or their visas will be shorter is unfair. If someone moves to another country to be allowed to express more freedoms, then he or she should be allowed to. In addition, keeping their culture with them will make a more diverse country which I also think is better for a country.
ReplyDeleteI believe Migrants should not have to be forced to speak English, and it is their choice if they want to learn the language. Under new plans the “Migrants could lose the chance to stay in Britain” (Lowe) if they fail to learn the language. I believe it is good that they will not automatically kick out the migrants who do not learn the language, but they will still have to consider it.
ReplyDeleteMegan Welter Per. 2
David Cameron, the prime minister, stated, "'We will never truly build one nation unless we are more assertive about our liberal values, clearer about the expectations we place on those who come to live here and build our country together, and more creative and generous in the work we do to break down barriers’” (Lowe). I agree that in order to build a nation, all people should share the same values. Learning English would be beneficial because the migrants will feel a sense of belonging with the others. I also agree that it will help them find jobs. Cameron also stated how “‘Segregation drives us apart’” (Lowe). Learning English can help the migrants remove some of this segregation they feel.
ReplyDeleteOlivia Lasecke Period 2
I think that it is good to have the immigrants learn how to speak English, but I don't think that they should have to leave the country if they don't. I agree that “We will never truly build one nation unless we are more assertive about our liberal values, clearer about the expectations we place on those who come to live here and build our country together, and more creative and generous in the work we do to break down barriers..." (Newsweek). I can also see how it would be hard for the children who do not have any English background to have to start school. It would be great if they could learn how to speak English to find jobs to make them feel more comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI think starting that program to have migrants learn to speak English is really beneficial for them. It would make life a lot easier for them. Being able to understand and communicate with people will make them more comfortable and not feel so different. On the down side English is a language that is difficult to learn. I don't think its fair for migrants to get kicked out of Britain if they aren't able to speak it correctly.
ReplyDelete"Officials said that from October, people arriving in Britain on spouse visas will have to develop their English, with a test after 2.5 years." I think requiring migrants to learn English would be beneficial for both the country and the migrants themselves. English is the third most popular language in the world, and I believe it is a necessary language to learn. It is an essential building block for communication and will expand their horizons for job prospects and networking in the future. Having a significant amount of people economically inactive is a financial burden for any country. I wish we enforced similar programs here in the United States.
ReplyDelete"Officials said that from October, people arriving in Britain on spouse visas will have to develop their English, with a test after 2.5 years." I think requiring migrants to learn English would be beneficial for both the country and the migrants themselves. English is the third most popular language in the world, and I believe it is a necessary language to learn. It is an essential building block for communication and will expand their horizons for job prospects and networking in the future. Having a significant amount of people economically inactive is a financial burden for any country. I wish we enforced similar programs here in the United States.
ReplyDeleteI think that migrants should not be forced to learn English."Migrants who fail to improve their English could lose the chance to stay in Britain under new plans"(Lowe). People should not be forced out of a country only based on the fact that they do not speak the same language. I think that the English language should be encouraged but not forced upon the Migrants.
ReplyDeleteCourtney Hulsing P.2
I think that it is important the Migrants learn English but, they should nit be forced to speak it. English is one of the most popular languages in the world so it would be useful to know. Under new plans the “Migrants could lose the chance to stay in Britain” (Lowe) if they do not learn English. I think it is unfair to not let someone stay in a country just because they do not speak a certain language.
ReplyDeleteKaci Pebley
Period 2
I believe it is important for migrants to learn English if they are to live in England or English speaking countries. For example,"'New figures show that some 190,000 British Muslim women—or 22 percent—speak little or no English despite many having lived here for decades'"(Cameron). This is an astonishing number, and if they learned English it could benefit everyone around them, people they interact with, and more importantly, themselves. Being able to communicate is a key part of living in a society, interacting, and reaping all of the benefits that you have access to in your country. If you don't know how to speak the language of the country you live in, you are cut off from many people and opportunities that could benefit you. It would be no different from one of us moving to a different country, and having to learn to speak that language for your own well being.
ReplyDeleteRenee Gibson, period 2
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt is important that an migrants learn the main language of the country that they are going to live in. This is because the country's whole system revolves around that language.Books,schools,stores,street signs it is all going to be in english if you are in Britain. However, not saying that is the only language that they speak, but that is the most dominant one. And if an migrants are expecting to live there and not adopt their language than that's ridiculous. It is a measure of public safety for them and for those around them.
ReplyDeleteBrooke Martinez p.5
I think that migrants should not have to be forced to speak English except, only if they want to learn how to speak it. If they move to an English speaking country, then they should learn. I don't think it's fair to be kicked out of your own country just because you can't speak a certain language. If migrants fail to improve, then they could be forced to move out of Britian. I think it's totally unfair to force them to move out for a language they can't fully speak. Brandon Marshall period 4
ReplyDeleteI believe that they should have to at least speak enough English to be able to tell people things and speak to others. I don't think they should be tested in only 2.5 years because it can be very difficult to learn another language when you grew up only speaking one. In high School they want us to take a language for at least two years, but in those two years some of us still don't understand anything about it and only really get the key concepts of it.
ReplyDeleteI think it is okay for immagrants to learn some type of english when here. However, I don't expect an 80 year old lady trying to learn english. But I do think, if you are the age, and are capable to learn it, you should learn basic english, to be apart of society. But I don't think its fair to force people to learn a language if they do not want to, and then threaten to deport them back to a warzone. “Too many children in Bradford and elsewhere are starting school with no English because it is not spoken at home, and that has a knock-on effect for their education. Early years education starts in the home.” So for young immagrants, not old, I think it is fair for the children to be taking a class on english. This is fair to improve their place in schools and ability to learn in an english speaking class.
ReplyDelete-Muzamil Ahmad p.6
My opinion on this matter is simple. I don't think we should force people to learn a language but I also think we shouldn't bend over backwards to accommodate to them. Kids in school will learn over time and they will be helped and at first given some leeway/help. People who are going to work in job where speaking to someone clearly is NEEDED, then I think they should be able to speak english. All in all I don't think this kind of thing should be forced upon someone.
ReplyDelete-Becky Carmickle
period 4
While I do agree on it being important that the migrants learn English to better adapt to their new surroundings, and also give their children more opportunities in education, I do think that the "Migrants who fail to improve their English could lose the chance to stay in Britain under new plans."(Newsweek) part is a bit much. The problem with that is that there's no way to get the adults and parents to dedicate themselves to learning the language despite threatening to boot them out of the country. Eventually, through just spending time surrounded by English, they're bound to pick some of the language up, but it'll be far from proper and by the time they're able to patch together phrases, it will have already made a great impact on the kids entering primary school. In conclusion, I don't think the Prime Minister along with the rest of the officials should jump on the first solution that comes their way and should spend more time developing a better answer that will benefit everyone without such extreme cons.
ReplyDelete-Jordan Daily
period 1
Because english is such an important language I think it is good to have immigrant's learn english, but it shouldn't be forced. An english learning program will be very beneficial. With this new rule, "Migrants who fail to improve their English could lose the chance to stay in Britain under new plans." (Lowe), this government is taking it too far. Language is a natural right and people should get to choose what they get to speak.
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
I think it's important for immigrants to learn English so they could function in the society of the new country. People who come from non-English speaking countries have their language all around them. Most if not all of what they see on buildings or traffic signs is in their native language. When they come to an English speaking country, they wouldn't be able to read important things like traffic signs or names of different places on buildings. It would also help them with getting a job because they would need to know how to read and write in English to help their customers.
ReplyDeleteAlena Romero Period 5
I believe that migrants entering the UK do not have to speak fluent English. It would be similar to a US citizen trying to move to Germany permanently, and not being able to because he/she cannot speak fluent German. I do agree with the requirement that the migrants will be tested on their English after 2.5 years. I feel that is enough time to become fluent with English. In addition to my argument, I also think that migrants need to come into the UK legally. They need to have the proper documents. They do not have to speak fluent English, but they need to come into the UK legally.
ReplyDelete“We will never truly build one nation unless we are more assertive about our liberal values, clearer about the expectations we place on those who come to live here and build our country together, and more creative and generous in the work we do to break down barriers,” I think if you live in the UK you should learn English because it should be one of our values also if you want to live there then you should have some interest on there language. No, i do not think you should have to be fluent but having some understand on what people are saying will help them with getting jobs and even with there everyday life with communicating.
ReplyDeleteI believe that immigrants should not be forced to learn fluent English. It is their choice what language they are comfortable with, they shouldn't be coaxed into learning an entirely new language or "lose the chance to stay in Britain" (Lowe). I do think it is a good idea for children to start learning it because it is important for education and the fact that most countries speak English. However, I don't think people who aren't comfortable with the language should have to learn it.
ReplyDeleteAfter I read the title of this article, I thought that Cameron's new ideas could make it harder for migrants to immigrate, but as I read through the article, I saw that the purpose of these changes are to help those people. I totally agree that the language is the first and most important thing an immigrant has to learn and know. Also, the requirement of 2.5 years seems very realistic to me, as I am learning English as well by living in another country. And yes, a basic education has to be provided by the government, and it is not good that Cameron had cut funding for that. I think it's good that he wants to take more care especially about muslim women, because it is the only way to allow families to speak some English at home. I agree with Cameron that a lack in the education of those people could lead to some segregation, if some people never learn English and only live in neighborhoods with people of the same culture. "Segregation drives us apart, not together", Cameron said. (David Cameron). Our goal has to be to integrate every single migrant as good as possible so they can be a full-fledged member of our society.
ReplyDeleteBruno Wilhelm, Period 5
It seems entirely appropriate that Rams move to Los Angeles. With a convenient location any money issues should rapidly begin to disappear.
ReplyDeleteIt seems wonderful that the NFL is returning to LA and should bring more tourist attraction to the city as well. The plan they have to share this plot should also save quite a bit of money for the team. Overall its a great idea.