- School board has reneged on its promise several times to reform the international students program, according to local teachers assn.
- Poor language skills, social isolation, inadequate resources, and chronic cheating by international students are just some of the problems associated with the program
- Students who can’t even speak basic english are expected to pass classes on Shakespeare and Canadian history and politics, to name a few.
By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: July 7, 2013
If you barely said hello in English, how could you pass a course on Shakespeare and Canadian history?
More than a few teachers at Howe Sound have scratched their heads over that question.
And they continue to do so as international students with poor language skills sometimes make up half of the class at Howe Sound Secondary School.
Meanwhile, the ESL program designed to help these students has been stripped to its bones, despite the fact that the program pumps $1.68 million into the local economy.
But poor language skills are just one issue.
In the past five years, SD 48 has expelled 14 international students and put 36 students on probation. Source: FOI request
Cultural isolation and cheating by international students are just some of the other problems faced by teachers.
What is more frustrating is the school board bureaucracy which promises reform and then reneges on those promises, teachers say.
The teachers have been promised commitment on number of international students that would be allowed, on minimum academic benchmarks for admission, resources for ESL.
These promises have remained just that.
Teachers have consistently raised concerned about inadequate resources, and poor guidelines, but they have been ignored, said Carl Walker, the head of Sea to Sky Teachers Association.
Walker said SSTA has asked for more information on students’ language proficiency before they register, and limits on the number of international students.
“To date, these requests have been ignored and guidelines are either non-existent or have not been communicated to teachers,” Walker said.
When international students first started trickling into Squamish in early 2000, there was a regular ESL class to help weak students.
But with cuts in education, the money coming from the international students program was spread into general revenue.
Now, there are only two blocks for ESL education for 140 international students.
But language is only one part of it.
“We have students who haven’t integrated very well and very isolated within the class,” said one Howe Sound teacher.
The teacher said blatant cheating among international students is another problem.
“Many of these kids are under enormous pressure, and we find entire essays ripped from the internet,”
In the past two months, the Reporter has focussed on international students, starting with the story on a student from Chile who was expelled by the school board from drinking.
School board administrators have refused to discuss the issue of student expulsion openly.
When asked about the expulsion of the international students, this was the response of Amy Shoup, the manager of international student program.
“No comment.”
Dave says
If I could be convinced that ALL the money which is levied from these students was purely directed to their education in our District and not used to bolster, in part, the shortcomings of the general revenue then I would be more supportive of this program. It has always appeared to me that this is not the case. To accept this money and not enhance , nay even cut back, the ESL (English as a Second Language) program is reprehensible.
This whole venture should be reviewed A.S.A.P.
I have taught in this District for more than 32 years and am now retired…I can say that I have always had my doubts as to the way this program was set up and seems now to be operated.
Also, I could be wrong but I don’t think we have permanently expelled any of our own students for being caught drinking….suspended ,yes but that is all….Fair, surely not? One wonders too if the parents of this student were refunded any of the considerable funds spent to enroll him/her here.
David Lassmann says
I know something about this because my son teaches English in Korea and his wife is involved with helping students from Korea come to Squamish for the purpose of attending school. I would say that it is the responsibility of the parents and the ESL teachers in Korea to make sure that the students are well prepared for going to Canada to attend public school. This is just common sense. The parents may not speak much English and may want to take English lessons while in Canada. However, it is unreasonable to expect our school board to provide English language education to visiting students or to their parents. The money that the parents pay to the school board is tuition and is collected so that the school board does not have to subsidise foreign students. If there is a surplus collected, then well and good, because we don’t have enough funding for our schools in any event.
Dave says
David. If a fee is charged for a service then that fee should be used to pay for the service in total to enhance its educational efficiency to the maximum. If there still is an excess then this money should be returned to the parents of the students, not put into general revenue, otherwise this whole thing could smack of a “cash cow” for the District and as such could be seen as exploitation. At the very least, this possible differential use of the fees should be outlined in the contract form (or equivalent) which the offshore parents would have to sign and submit. In short, they would have give permission for any excess to be used for general revenue.
Dave Colwell, G.H.
David Lassmann says
Dear Dave Colwell,
By charging a fee for the service of providing education to foreign students who are not taxpayers the School Board is essentially running a business. I have no problem with that business making a profit that can be used to help fund education in our district. Why should our school system be paying for the education of foreigners? And I repeat, if you want to go to school or do business in a foreign country then it is up to you to prepare yourself and not expect the host to correct your lack of preparation after the fact.
Dave says
David.
…..As long as the customers fully know what they are getting into and what services are going to be provided to them…This is the mark of a good business. If they actually know how all their fees will be used in detail, I have no problem with it. They can then choose if they want to get on board or not. In short full transparency.
heather gee says
Dave, you sound like an ethical person. Isn’t the program simply about bringing in money to the community – by fair means or foul. There is normally no long-term view – just immediate greed.