England, March 26- The English language originated in England. So, one would automatically assume that the English would be the best at English, right? Well, the way things are, students at a secondary school in England are being made to learn English as a foreign language.
Shameful as it may sound, the headteacher of the City of Leeds School, Georgiana Sale said that literacy levels were so low that emergency action is needed. Apparently, one in four pupils at the school is British with the rest having arrived in the country within the past four years.
What is worrisome is the fact that even native-born pupils are struggling to speak and write the language adequately.
Sale said: “Many of our pupils are not only new to English but are not literate in their own language. For some, we are the first people to put a pen in their hand.”
Offering the classes to all pupils will help native-born students with their own literacy, she added.
Students will be divided by ability rather than age in the classes, which start this year.
Sale said: “Education is about giving children what they need and so we have asked ourselves, what do our children need?”
-Indiatoday
