One fact of the political economy of ESOL for adults in the U.S., especially working-class immigrants, is the growing chasm between ‘demand’ and ’supply’. Here a relevant article: Fernanda Santos, “Demand for English Lessons Outstrips Supply”, NYT, 27 February 2007,
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/27/education/27esl.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
The situation Fernanda sketches is a kind of ‘capitalism-in-a-nutshell’ emblem of the contradictions inside ESOL and its political economy. Though of course an article in the New York Times won’t say that. Masses of waiting even eager learners, many undocumented immigrants, and far too few affordable classes (expect for big bucks) or decently-salaried teachers. Where people are on waiting lists for many months, even years [!] to join a class, or participate in class entrance lotteries to get a place in a low-cost or cost-free course. Too many teaching schemes come to rely on ‘volunteer’ teachers, or totally contingent staff. Obvious that we need to advance options that would not mean ‘charity ESOL’, but an OK salary for professionals teaching all these people, paid for in part by drastic cuts in military and other nonsense spending, maybe a special corporate tax for furthering migrant adult education. In the IWW (and other trade unions), more energy is needed in getting the idea and practice of alternative learning environments, like the Peoples Work College, out into the society and awareness of people, what they need. Low-cost ESOL for working-class immigrants is clearly a top priority in any immigrant society. There are tested labour education prototypes, like the longtime Canadian experimental immigrant workers FRONTIER COLLEGE (http://www.frontiercollege.ca ).In any event, it’s evident no ‘market’ can organize and regulate this political economy, a quarry of inequity.
Bill (Phitsanulok province, Thailand)
