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Campaign waged to save North East language learning

A campaign is underway to save a treasured language learning resource in the North East which has been closed by the University of Sunderland.

Evening language classes provided through the North East Centre for Lifelong Learning (NECLL) are crucial to regional skills and economic competitiveness, campaigners say.

Recently the University closed the Centre and said that due to changes in Higher Education funding, the classes were no longer financially viable.

Students and tutors, under the banner of ‘Save Our Languages’ refute this claim and now want to either get other universities to give them a home, or set up as a private Language Centre.

A senior lecturer in Marketing and Tourism at Northumbria University said the move would be detrimental to the North East’s economic competitiveness overseas.

Dr Hans-Christian Andersen said: “When it comes to getting under the skin of the people you are doing business with, understanding what is going on when you are not talking to them as business partners but perhaps just as a ‘tourist’ trying to understand how people in a new target market think and act, then even just a basic understanding of foreign languages becomes both fun and useful.

“Modern language teaching is under threat in this country: university modern language departments are closing down – not all of them, I think you will find them in all the North East Universities – and in schools they enjoy less and less support, to a great extent through mismanagement by the previous government. We ourselves should protect them: we must be outward looking and we must have the skills to deal with it. Modern language skills are central there.”

Programmes will close from September this year, however the Centre will continue to operate until all courses have closed.

A spokesperson for the University said: “It is with great regret that we have had to take the decision to close the North East Centre for Lifelong Learning (NECLL). Despite the best efforts of all the staff at the NECLL the changes to the higher education funding regime have led to the centre becoming financially unviable.

“Grant funding for students who had already studied on a publicly funded course had already been withdrawn. This was compounded by the Government’s new loans based system which hit NECLL provision hard.”

“The University will maintain some of the work which is currently managed under the NECLL banner. Some of the commercial languages work, for example, will continue but will be merged with our languages programme at Sunderland. The programme of one-off events, summer courses and specialist activities will continue as part of our Department of Culture within the University.”

Christopher McConway, a retired former Design and Technology teacher, has used the NECLL for several years.

He said: “For me - without sounding too grand about it - it’s about enriching my life. Languages give you access to parts of other cultures that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to access.

“I’m determined to do whatever I can to maintain the facility. Without the NECLL there would be a big hole in my life and what I like to think of as my continuing education. I know it’s a similar story for hundreds others. There isn’t anybody else in my class who isn’t extremely disappointed that this is going to happen.

“The simple fact that we have this facility is something the region can be proud of. The quality of the courses at NECLL is exceptional and we need to see this continue in some form.”

To sign the petition to keep the programme open here.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .