Work and Money

Government plans to introduce fees for English language classes (known as 'ESOL') have been met with outrage by some students and teachers in Tower Hamlets.

Students and teachers marched from Altab Ali Park in Whitechapel to Hackney Town Hall in protest against the proposed charges.

If introduced, the changes will affect students who do not have permanent leave to stay in Britain, including asylum seekers over 19-years-old, and those who are not registered unemployed or on income-based benefits. The level of fees has not yet been decided.

College fears changes

Almost 70 per cent of evening-class students responded to a survey by Tower Hamlets College on Arbour Square, saying they would have to give up ESOL classes if charges were introduced.

The College caters for almost 2,000 ESOL students. According to one of its lecturers, John Budis, most of these students are housewives with working husbands and people on very low incomes, many of whom are Bangladeshi.

Christian Knollseisen, a student at Tower Hamlets College, started taking ESOL classes while working at minimum wage as a waiter. He has now found employment as an engineer because his level of English has improved.

"The British government gave me free English classes. Now I have a job and can be a taxpayer and give back to the country," he said. "Without funding I couldn’t have done that."

MP faces criticism

Labour MP for Poplar and Canning Town, Jim Fitzpatrick, told BBC London: "My assessment of the new changes that are coming in is that the vast majority of those people will be unaffected."

Perdita Patterson, an ESOL lecturer who runs a women-only class at Tower Hamlets College, disagrees: "We’ve been lobbying Jim Fitzpatrick on our ESOL campaign but he’s always made himself unavailable.

"Many people cannot express their concerns to their MP because they don’t have the adequate English language skills. Some are refugees and asylum-seekers from worn-torn countries where they have had no opportunity to learn any English."

Some protestors at the march carried placards proclaiming, 'Don’t vote for Jim Fitzpatrick.'

To watch the report about ESOL classes click on the link at the top right of this page.

angela.saini@bbc.co.uk