Aid sought with English

Press, 28 March 1979, Page 14

Aid sought with English

The Christchurch Technical Institute wants to train volunteers willing to help Christchurch secondary school pupils whose native language is not English, and who are having language; problems at school. A survey by the Education! Department’s' district senior inspector of secondary I schools (Mr A. W. Gilchrist): shows that 114 pupils from 20 Christchurch secondary schools may need help. They include Samoans. Vietnamese. Dutch. Chinese, and Indians. The head of the institute’s general studies department (Mr C. R. Hockley) said it! wanted volunteers with; teaching experience, or an in-' terest in helping, and who 'elated well to young people,! to help the pupiis. The institute hoped to train '.bout 50 volunteers, said Mr| fockley. They would be, liven a 12-hour course over ( wo weeks in the teaching ofj .nglish as a second lan-; ;uage. followed by a weekly' -aining session where they! ould compare notes and dis-! uss any problems. Mr Hockley said it was oped to train the first 14 ilunteers at the end of next, uonth. so that they could go

1 into schools at the start of , the second term. Each volun- ■ teer would work with one or 1 ’ two pupils during school ' hours where possible, and ■ after school. j The increasing number of ; , teachers and principals who I approached the institute or < Mr Gilchrist, concerned i i! about pupils from foreign t :! countries having problems t 'with English, had shown the i '

need for this service, said Mr Hockley. The institute had combined with Mr Gilchrist to organise it. Persons interested in training to help these pupils are asked to get in touch with Mrs Rhona Thorpe, the coordinator of the programme, at the language and communication studies department of the institute, telephone 798-150.