Language funding for B.C. immigrants unclear
- Laura Rodgers — CUP B.C. Bureau Chief
- in B.C., Canada, News, Ottawa
VANCOUVER (CUP) — B.C. advanced education minister Amrik Virk recently came out in a press release criticizing the federal government over a change-up to funding for ESL teaching in the province.
Through the Canada-B.C. Immigration Agreement, the federal government currently funds $17 million worth of English language training programs at colleges and universities in B.C., and those programs are used by over 9,000 students.
Previously, the funds are passed from the federal government to the provincial ministry, who then funds the programs. But due to a recent change, individual schools’ ESL programs will now be applying directly to the federal government for cash.
There are 17 colleges and universities using the funding now, with roughly half the programming happening at Vancouver Community College. Only 12 of these schools applied to receive direct federal funding, and the decision on who gets the money won’t happen until next year.
Virk, the MLA for Surrey-Tynehead, is concerned that there will be less money available through the new system. “It seems unlikely that the funding that flows through the ministry to institutions will be replaced through the RFP process that took place over the summer,” he wrote in a release.
According to the Canadian Press, Citizenship and Immigration Canada — the federal body involved in assisting immigrants to Canada — “The federal government remains committed to helping new Canadians fully integrate into the economy, and it will assume direct management of settlement programs in B.C. in April.”
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