University of Leicester offers free English language lessons to displaced refugees
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- 30 Nov 2020
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The University of Leicester has opened its doors to help displaced refugees overcome one of the most difficult challenges they face when seeking sanctuary in the West by providing something invaluable - English language lessons.
Teachers from the institution’s English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) have been offering up their expertise, training for volunteers who have less classroom experience, and the use of university facilities also - all free of charge.
According to the Leicester City of Sanctuary - part of a national movement with nearly 40 groups which are committed to developing a “culture of welcome and inclusion” for people seeking sanctuary in the UK - the refugees, who have fled war and persecution in countries from across the globe, receive £36 a week to live on once here, reported ITV News.
The price of private tuition would be at around £60 a term, a cost which the news programme described as being “way beyond their means.”
Philip Horspool, director of the university’s ELTU, described how Leicester has, for a long time, been a city that welcomes refugees. He added: “With the current situation in Europe, the city is likely to welcome increased numbers in the coming months and years.
“Language is one of the many challenges that face those who leave their own country and, in the ELTU, we have the expertise and desire to help those whose first language is not English.”
The students, however, are fearing for the lives of their families back in their home countries and told ITV News they wished to remain anonymous about the fact they have been receiving the lessons.
