Blog 5: Unemployed 'must learn English'

Webpage address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6352793.stm
Date: 12-02-2007

Summary:
This article is about the unemployed in Britain. Unemployed people who cannot speak English will have to show the are learning the language or face losing benefits, the government has announced. Abut 40.000 jobless people say their poor English is a barrier to finding employment and £4,5 million is spent on translators in job centres. This money would be better spent on teaching them English said Ministers. But an educational think thank which recently produced a critical report into how the government provides English classes to immigrants, attacked the proposals as risky, because there will be too less classes and teachers for the 40.000 jobless people.

Opinion:
If the English skills of the unemployed people are really the barrier to find a job, than it is a good plan. Because it is better for those people. They learn English and they won’t need the translators anymore. Those translators cost a lot of money and it will not resolve the problem. I support the idea that people who will not take the challenge to learn proper English, will lose their benefits. Unfortunately there are always people who will come in action when it will cost their money. But at first there must be enough teachers and enough classes, otherwise it is not fair, if you want to and there is no place! My conclusion is that it is a good idea, but only when the government offers enough places.