Students with limited ability in English and those who are recent newcomers from war-torn countries will receive new dedicated support through the provincial English as an Additional Language (EAL) and the Intensive Newcomer Support grants, which will help them thrive and succeed in school. This announcement was mad by Education Minister Nancy Allan.
“With EAL support, students get the quality English-language skills they need to succeed in school and become active participants in our society and economy,” said Allan. “The ability to speak and write in English gives students more choices in learning and in the workforce.”
The EAL grant provides funding for a broad range of programs and services for EAL learners including additional one-on-one time with teachers, professional development for teachers, assessments, classroom resources and division-wide EAL planning.
The province has dedicated $1.2 million in new funding to help support these students, bringing the total EAL funding for 2012-13 to $11.7 million.
The new funding includes an additional $100,000 for the Intensive Newcomer Support (INS) grant, which supports Manitoba school divisions in developing programming for newcomer adolescent and young-adult students from refugee and war-affected backgrounds whose education has been disrupted.
The INS grant, which was first introduced in 2006, is dedicated to specialized programming to help students in grades 6 to 12, Allan said. Students typically receive intensive support for one to two years before they begin to transition into regular EAL and general programming.
“Each year, Manitoba welcomes over 100 new immigrant students between the ages of 10 and 19 who have no previous schooling or interrupted education,” said Allan. “Our government is committed to supporting these students as they improve their knowledge of English and adjust to their new home and culture.”
In 2010, approximately 320 students benefited from INS projects in eight school divisions, the minister said. The initiative is now expanding to include EAL students who may not be from refugee or war-affected backgrounds, but who have missed significant schooling.
