ENGLISH plays an important role in South Korea, but it often comes with a steep price tag. Last year alone, South Koreans spent 10 trillion Won ($7 billion) on private education facilities. Now native English speakers in South Korea have launched a non-profit organization called HOPE to provide free and accessible language classes to children who may not have had a chance to be exposed to it. The organization has contacted care centers in Seoul, which then provide rooms and arrange for class time. Sylvia Soo, director of public relations at HOPE, said the organization needs support of the South Korean education system.
NYC helps interrupted language learners
美国:纽约将首次评估学生英语学习连贯性
THE New York City school district has rolled out the first academic diagnostic test in the country designed solely for English language learners who have missed years of schooling. The district has identified 15,500 out of its 148,000 English language learners who are "students with interrupted formal education", or SIFE. That subset of English language learners has grown rapidly over the past decade, with about 3,000 to 5,000 students added each school year. Students may have missed or stopped attending school in their home countries for a variety of reasons. The test helps identify SIFE when such children enter the school system.
English education booming in Philippines
菲律宾:英语教育产业发展势头强劲
IN 2008, The English as a Second Language (ESL) program of the Philippine Tourism Department earned almost 100 million Pesos ($2 million), with most foreigners enrolling in schools in Bacolod and Baguio City. The department said Bacolod City had 1,087 foreign student-visitors. South Koreans represented the highest turnout of foreign students, with 2,873 of them enrolled in the program. Under the ESL program, participants attend the course from 20 to 100 days. The department said peak registration months were May, August, and December.
