IMMIGRANTS should be offered incentives for good attendance at English classes, a new report from the Immigrant Council of Ireland recommends.
The recently released report, On Speaking Terms, states: “Positive incentives such as speeding up the process for renewing temporary residence status, acquisition of long-term resident status or citizenship may prove useful in increasing attendance.”
However, it adds: “Negative sanctions, such as loss of a residence permit or financial sanctions are not advisable, because they can negatively affect the motivation and learning success of those attending programmes. Linguistic experts consider the application of sanctions detrimental to the learning process.”
The report advises that a central agency be established to organise a tendering process for service providers of English classes. The study also recommends that funding of NGOS and private centres operating as course providers should be considered by Government as these “have the advantage of specific expertise in the area, together with greater trust and familiarity on the part of participants, who may not wish to attend a government-run programme.”
Asylum seekers, refugees and migrant workers– including those without legal documents – should be among those permitted to attend such classes.
