A few weeks ago I attended a debate in Parliament about plans to cut funding for English language courses.  The debate about ‘English for Speakers of Other Languages’ (ESOL) was initiated by my colleague, Heidi Alexander.  Heidi is the MP for Lewisham East.

I referred in the debate to letters I received from an ESOL group based at the Priory Park Centre.  I am due to visit them this week.  

The Government proposes that, from September, only ESOL students on Job Seekers Allowance or Employment Support Allowance will be entitled to free classes.  That is, only people who are receiving out of work benefits and looking for work.  Other students will have to pay around £3 per hour.  I told fellow MPs that, out of 42 students at Priory Park, only one receives benefits that will qualify them for free lessons.  The picture is similar in other constituencies.  

Many people point to ESOL as a crucial first step, not just for enabling them to learn English but for being able to integrate into our community.  The classes have often helped them make friends, made it possible for them to go out to the shops and to support their children at school, as well as – in due course – to find a job.

It is strange that the Government is making such drastic cuts to ESOL just months after David Cameron’s speech in Munich criticising multiculturalism in the UK.  He argued that previous policies had divided society and encouraged people to live separate lives.  However, the cuts will deny many people the chance to learn English and integrate properly in Britain.  This will surely hinder rather than help the success of multiculturalism.

I hope the Government will have a rethink.  In Newham, free English language classes have made an important and valuable contribution.