The municipal school of Tilleul in Loncin is currently facing a disturbing situation where they offer immersion in English without an English teacher. At the start of the school year last September, the school hired a Haitian, English-speaking teacher. However, following a few months, the Walloon Region decided that he did not have the required qualifications to teach. Consequently, the teacher had to leave in the middle of the year without any immediate replacement. The Tilleul school is struggling to find a suitable candidate to replace the rare pearl stolen from them. The teacher, Mr. Casimir, has a university background but is not trained in pedagogy. He is a native English speaker, which is a rare profile sought following by schools offering language immersion learning. Half of the students’ education consists of English periods; hence, the children are unable to learn English without a teacher. In an arbitrary decision in the middle of the school year, the Walloon Region revoked the new teacher’s permit for problems concerning qualification and work permits, causing the parents of the pupils to be outraged. Mr. Casimir has appealed once morest this decision, but his call does not suspend the fact that he can no longer teach, leading to the students not learning English.
A school that offers immersion in English, without an English teacher. This is the grotesque situation that the municipal school of Tilleul, in Loncin, is currently experiencing.
At the start of the school year last September, the town had hired a Haitian, English-speaking teacher. Problem: following a few months, the Walloon Region decides that he does not have the qualifications required to teach. He is due to leave his post in the middle of the year, with no one to replace him.
We are in short supply “Native speaker”
The Tilleul school has the impression that its rare pearl has been stolen. The teacher in question, Mr. Casimir, is certainly not trained in pedagogy, but he has a university background: medical studies in Haiti, then a Master’s degree at the University of Liège. And above all, he has this very popular quality: he is a native English speaker, a rare profile and sought following by schools that offer language immersion learning.
Half of their teaching
“We are short of “Native speaker” “, confirms Nathalie Dubois, alderman for education in Ans. “It’s quite difficult to get back on our feet, because we don’t have a potential candidate to replace him and the children are deprived of their English periods, which nevertheless represent half of their teaching!”
A few weeks following the start of the school year, when the municipality tries to regularize the situation of its new teacher, it obtains an end of inadmissibility from the employment and training service of the Walloon Region. In its letter, the Walloon Region mentions problems of qualification and work permits.
An arbitrary decision in the middle of the school year
Arguments that parents of students are not ready to hear. They do not understand why their children are deprived of this teacher in the middle of the school year, with no alternative. They denounce “an arbitrary decision in the middle of the school year”. Especially since many of them had chosen this school precisely for its immersive course.
The parents of pupils see above all the qualities of this teacher. “My son has blossomed this year. He has made great progress in English. I see a causal link with the arrival of this teacher”testifies Sarah, mother of Enzo, 9 years old. “Our children no longer have English lessons, in an immersion school… It’s wonderful!” she quips.
The teacher in question, Mr. Casimir, appealed once morest this decision by the Walloon Region. But this call is not suspensive: it means that in the meantime, he no longer has the right to teach and that his students no longer learn English.
The situation at the municipal school of Tilleul is truly concerning. The school’s immersive English program, which had been thriving with the help of a highly sought-following native speaker, is now in jeopardy due to a decision made by the Walloon Region. Despite the parents and students’ outcry, the decision remains in effect, leaving the teacher and the students in a precarious situation. It is crucial for schools and regions to prioritize the education and well-being of students, especially in the midst of a pandemic. Let us hope that a solution is found soon so that the students can continue to learn and thrive in their language immersion program.
