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<h2 class="entry-title">QQI Bill “leaves English language teachers behind”</h2>
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<small><span class="gmail-sep">Posted on </span><a href="https://thepienews.com/news/elt/qqi-bill-leaves-english-language-teachers-behind/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date" datetime="2018-07-27T07:42:48+00:00">Jul 27, 2018</time></a> <span class="gmail-sep"> by </span> <span class="gmail-author gmail-vcard"><a class="gmail-url gmail-fn gmail-n" href="https://thepienews.com/author/kerrie-kennedy/" title="View all posts by Kerrie Kennedy">Kerrie Kennedy</a></span></small> </aside>
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<small>Posted in <a href="https://thepienews.com/section/news/elt/" rel="category tag">ELT</a>, <a href="https://thepienews.com/section/news/" rel="category tag">News</a>, under <a href="https://thepienews.com/region/europe/" rel="tag">Europe</a>.<br>Tagged with <a href="https://thepienews.com/tags/elt/" rel="tag">ELT</a>, <a href="https://thepienews.com/tags/ireland/" rel="tag">Ireland</a>, <a href="https://thepienews.com/tags/lanlearn/" rel="tag">LanLearn</a>.<br>Bookmark the <a href="https://thepienews.com/news/elt/qqi-bill-leaves-english-language-teachers-behind/" title="Permalink to QQI Bill “leaves English language teachers behind”" rel="bookmark">permalink</a>.</small> </aside>
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<p>Trade union <a href="http://www.unitetheunion.org/how-we-help/listofregions/ireland/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Unite</a>, which represents English language teachers in the UK and Ireland, has said that a <a href="https://thepienews.com/news/qqi-given-new-powers-to-regulate-irelands-ele-sector/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">key piece of legislation</a> that will enhance QQI’s powers in the area of English language education “leaves English language teachers behind”.</p>
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<img src="https://d1pe6f90ru47yo.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/24170137/Limerick-King-Johns-Castle-2012-860x375.jpg" class="gmail-attachment-single-main gmail-size-single-main gmail-wp-post-image" alt="" width="860" height="375">Unite
said the ‘Learner Protection Fund’ aspect of the Bill should be matched
by a ‘Teacher Protection Fund’ after the sudden closure of an English
language school in Limerick. Photo: Wikimedia </figure>
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<small><strong>About Kerrie Kennedy</strong><br></small>
<small>Kerrie gained international print and online media experience
during five years of working in various newsrooms and the music industry
across Ireland, Australia and the UK.
After completing a Master's in Journalism at the University of Limerick
in Ireland, Kerrie kicked off her media career as a reporter for The
Irish Examiner before moving to Sydney to take on the role of Content
Manager for concert streaming site Moshcam.</small>
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<p>Unite members say they are angry but not surprised that there is no mention of teachers in the draft legislation</p>
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<p>Unite said the ‘Learner Protection Fund’ aspect of the Qualification
and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill should
be matched by a ‘Teacher Protection Fund’ after the <a href="https://thepienews.com/news/closure-of-irish-language-school-impacts-150-international-students/">recent closure</a> of an English language school impacted as many as 150 international students and left 10 teachers without wages.</p>
<blockquote><p>“The focus of public policy has been on protecting students while leaving teachers behind”</p></blockquote>
<p>In a statement, Unite Regional organiser Roy Hassey said the trade
union’s members are “angry but not surprised” to learn that there is no
mention of teachers in the draft legislation.</p>
<p>“The English Language Teaching sector has been built on the backs of
workers, with precarious employment conditions rife and some teachers
earning as little as €13 per hour,” he said.</p>
<p>“The focus of public policy has been on protecting students while
leaving teachers behind, and this proposed legislation continues that
trend – ignoring the fact that both teachers and students are crucial to
the sector.”</p>
<p>Hassey added that unite is particularly disappointed in the wake of
the LanLearn closure in Limerick which “left teachers high and dry”.</p>
<p>“Much of the focus of this legislation is on encouraging and
facilitating language colleges to obtain an International Education Mark
– whereas many colleges would be better advised to strive for a Fair
Employment Mark.”</p>
<p>“Unite will be making our views known during the public consultation
process and will be vigorously lobbying vigorously lobbying for
amendments to the bill, including a Fair Employment Mark and protections
for teachers in the event of a sudden school closure,” Hassey
concluded.</p>
<p>This is not the first occasion that Unite has raised questions over
the legitimacy of the ELT sector in Ireland after it held a protest in
2017 to highlight the allegedly worrying levels of <a href="https://thepienews.com/news/dublin-unite-protest-bogus-elt-employment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bogus self-employment</a>.</p></div></section>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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