No such thing as a free lesson

The Government's decision to make asylum-seekers pay to learn English has angered many, says Neil Merrick

Only last week, an independent report found that migrant workers had added almost £37bn to the UK's economy since Labour came to power nine years ago. But as far as further education is concerned, the Government has developed a sudden unwillingness to share the wealth.

From next September, under new government rules, adult asylum-seekers will face fees for further education courses, including English language programmes, until their appeal cases are decided.

Every year, more than 2,000 students enrol on English for Speakers of Other Languages (Esol) courses at City of Bristol College. Many adults attend twice-weekly evening classes, while 16-18-year-olds tend to study full time. The courses are popular among Bristol's large Somali community, as well as among Polish and other EU workers. At present, they are free to everyone. But under the new rules, only people who are unemployed or receiving income-based benefits will escape charges.

Esol appears to have become a victim of its own success. Nationally, the number of people enrolling on courses annually has tripled to about 500,000 since the Skills for Life programme was launched in 2001. Jan Bovill, head of Skills for Life and languages at City of Bristol College, says that a fee-based system was widely expected but across-the-board charges for asylum-seekers is more of a surprise and will hit those using Esol as a stepping stone to other courses. She estimates that fewer than half of the college's Esol students would be eligible for free classes, although it will be up to staff to assess financial status.

While some employers may cover costs, as the Government hopes, for others it will mean dipping into their own pockets - including part-time workers. "I envisage us running more courses at the workplace," Bovill says. "We'll need a fee structure that's competitive with the private sector."

Demand for Esol courses is especially high in London and the South-east, where many colleges have long waiting lists. Geoff Sorrell, the deputy principal at Lewisham College, is concerned that, while waiting lists may fall, some people will simply give up the idea of learning English. "Will we create an underclass by taking away people's ability to access classes?" he asks.

The decision to charge for Esol has been criticised by the Refugee Council and the University and College Union. Carol Taylor, joint interim director at the Basic Skills Agency, says: "People who can afford to pay should pay, but as soon as you draw a line, there will always be casualties who fall just the other side of it."

First details of the fee system, which coincides with the introduction of shorter, work-focused Esol qualifications, was slipped into a Learning and Skills Council (LSC) document in October. There was no formal announcement by the LSC or Department for Education and Skills (DfES).

The Association of Colleges (AoC) is angry over the lack of consultation, and is gathering evidence to present to ministers. "They're assuming that colleges will make savings but, without consulting more widely, they might get those forecasts wrong," says Julian Gravatt, the AoC's director of funding and development.

Bill Rammell, the minister for lifelong learning, says that the shift in policy was never intended to save money but rather to ensure that places go to people with the greatest need. In 2004-5, the DfES spent £279m on Esol, and the bill is due to continue rising until at least next year. "The current situation is unsustainable," he says, adding that he expects "more than half" of Esol students to continue to qualify for free lessons.

With 80 per cent of asylum applications being processed within two months, he argues that asylum-seekers wishing to join Esol and other courses should wait until they gain refugee status or discretionary leave to stay here - so allowing them free education. "If you are dramatically improving the turnaround time for asylum applications, and 70 per cent are unsuccessful, then the state shouldn't bear responsibility for these people," Rammell says.

But Maureen Mellor, vice- principal at Liverpool Community College, says that it makes sense for asylum-seekers to study while applications are processed. "Otherwise, it is time lost," she says, "when they could be gaining the language skills that the Government wants them to have."