CUTS TO ESOL FUNDING UNDERMINE INTEGRATION

Under questioning from Paul Holmes, Liberal Democrat MP, at yesterday's Education and Skills Select Committee hearing, Ken Livingstone admitted that he was opposed to last week's shock Government announcement that they were to cut and restrict funding for courses in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

Paul told the meeting: "This is a particular issue for areas like London where half of the Learning and Skills Council's £279 million budget for ESOL is spent. As Ken said at the start of the hearing, London has a large and diverse immigrant population. If they cannot speak English they cannot access education, enter the job market or achieve social integration. The same is true in areas like Leicester or Birmingham.

Restricting access to these adult skills courses is foolish and short sighted in the extreme at a time when everyone is talking about the need for better not worse integration.

College Principals I met in London last week are angry at the sudden way this was announced which potentially poses huge problems to some College budgets. They are also dismayed that ESOL courses which underwent major reorganisation in 2002-4 are now to be rewritten again."