Shoddy welcome for newcomers
There were 20 students in Anna Opanasyuk's English-as-a-second- language class. Five were doctors, four were scientists, the rest had university degrees in everything from economics to electrical engineering. She had two doctorates; one in education and one in public administration. She was also a certified mediator, a trained cellist and an accomplished dressmaker.
Between classes, the immigrants would exchange stories. Two themes always dominated. The first was the near-impossibility of getting professional accreditation in their fields. The second was how much it hurt to be treated like simpletons because of their lack of proficiency in English.
Last spring, when the Ontario government launched a public review of adult education, the students asked Opanasyuk, who is from Ukraine, to speak on their behalf.
They wanted her to explain that highly educated immigrants don't need courses on resume writing or family life. They need intensive, high-quality English instruction so they can compete for jobs in their professions. And they need to know how to get their credentials recognized in Canada.
Opanasyuk tried to convey these messages to Kathleen Wynne, parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. "I don't think she got it."
[For the complete column, see Page A22, Toronto Star, August 18, 2004.]
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