Nearly 150 concerned students listened to senior administrators of Camosun College on February 4 and 5 as they explained the recent cuts to government funding for domestic ESL programming. ESL students packed the designated meeting rooms at both campuses and spilled out into the hallways.
The official word from the college, represented by vice-president academic John Boraas and school of access dean Ian Humphries, was that all ESL programs for domestic students were being cancelled as of April 30. This comes after applications for funding were denied by the federal government.
The approximately 500 domestic students currently studying ESL at Camosun were recently told by the college via email that they will be able to finish their programs, although the cost of doing so past April 30, if any, is unknown. The government previously paid students’ tuition for ESL programs at the college.
At the meetings, representatives from Camosun and the college’s student society urged students to contact all levels of government to voice their concerns about the recent cuts.
“We’ve tried really hard to point out to government all of the things that are going to be problems with this decision, and I don’t believe they fully understand what the results of it are,” Boraas told a packed classroom of students at Interurban. “I hope you will tell your story to government.”
The Camosun College Student Society explained to students that they are working on a campaign to publicize the effects of the ESL funding cuts. They also said they are planning to bring government representatives to the college’s campuses to speak directly to students.
“They’re all involved in this bizarre situation that you’re in,” student services coordinator Michael Glover told the students, “so we need to put pressure on all of those different groups.”
Some students at the meetings expressed their individual concerns and asked questions of the college reps. Most in attendance appeared to agree that the proper course of action was to write letters to government.
“We need to send a strong message to government to show them how this is affecting people’s lives and why the funding should be returned,” says Hossam Rezk, an ESL student who recently moved to Canada.
Advanced education opposition critic and New Democrat MLA David Eby says students need to hold the government accountable, whether at the provincial or federal level, and called the cuts “simply inexcusable.”
“The idea that you are saving money by refusing access to English classes is a joke. The reason is simple: people who can’t speak English can’t get a job in BC and we have many people who come here that need language skills to participate in the economy,” says Eby. “Without those skills, they won’t be working and they won’t be paying taxes and it’s going to cost our economy significantly. This short-term political thinking ultimately costs us as a larger society.”
As we told you in the January 8 issue of Nexus, the federal government announced $2.5 million in funding cuts to Camosun’s ESL programs catering to domestic students and landed immigrants.
“Our government has been working with BC’s public post-secondary institutions since learning of the federal government’s decision to cancel the Canada-BC Immigration Agreement, which will change the way ESL training is delivered,” said minister of advanced education Amrik Virk in a prepared statement to Nexus. “The ministry provided support last summer for Camosun and other institutions to bid on the direct delivery of ESL. However, the federal government did not select Camosun to deliver ESL programming.”
When the cuts were announced, the $2.5 million amount surprised college officials. Because ESL programs at the college cost only $1.3 million to run, the college will be recovering the additional $1.2 million from the government, according to Boraas. The ministry of advanced education, meanwhile, says funding has not been finalized.
In a January 31 message to faculty and staff, Camosun president Kathryn Laurin said the college has been “assured” by the ministry of advanced education that the amount of the cuts will be adjusted to reflect the true cost of the program.
The college told students at the meetings that they expect to get more information from the government soon. This should include clarification on how students can finish their current studies and transition to the next stage of their educations, according to college reps.
In her college-wide message, Laurin expressed concern for not only students but also the staff who will be affected by the funding cuts. She said a maximum of 13 staff people would lose their jobs as a result.
“Members of the college community have worked tirelessly to advocate and mitigate this situation,” said Laurin in the message. “I know that the impact will be felt very deeply by many here at the college for a long time to come.”
According to a letter sent by Humphries to all ESL students on January 30, the college currently doesn’t know which institutions or schools in Victoria have received funding for ESL training.
For the time being, they are suggesting those who want to continue with English language training contact accessinfo@camosun.bc.ca for a list of options.
“The Ministry of Advanced Education is developing a transition plan in partnership with our institutions to mitigate the impact on students, staff, and faculty,” said Virk in his statement. “Our priority is to ensure immigrants can continue to access the ESL training they need to succeed, find jobs, and help British Columbia meet labour market demands in a growing economy.”
In his statement, the minister went on to say that Camosun College’s decision to stop delivering ESL programs “is at their discretion.”
ESL student Natalia Riaboshapchenko, who hoped to become a teacher in Canada, says it was Camosun’s ESL programs that allowed her to read and write in English. Without the courses, her future in Canada is bleak, she says.
“If these courses stop, there is nothing in my future here, and no chance to communicate,” says Riaboshapchenko. “It’s very, very important that the government changes this situation.”
At the meetings, Boraas admitted to students that he hopes the government reverses their decision before the college does away with the current ESL programs at the end of April.
“Deep down inside we hope that, in that time, government will have changed its mind,” Boraas told the students. “But, right now, we need to be working under what the government has told us to do.”
Want to get involved?
The Camosun College Student Society is holding two events for students interested in making their voice heard about the ESL cuts.
On Thursday, February 20 at 12:30, they’re hosting a Town Hall for students with provincial and federal politicans in Tech 110 at the Interurban campus.
On Friday, February 21 at 10:30am, there will be a rally at the Ministry of Advanced Education office, at 835 Humboldt Street.