A well-meaning linguist and teacher is offering free English language lessons that would be useful for new migrants and residents who struggle to become effective communicators.
Adon Kumar is presenting a weekly radio programme called, ‘English for Migrants’ on Sundays at 1120 am on Planet FM 104.6. Those living abroad would have the benefit of his lessons online (On Demand) website www.planetaudio.org.nz (English for migrants). The website also has archives providing access to past lessons.
Extensive programme
Mr Kumar said that the website also has facility for posting comments on any English topic, including grammar and usage.
“Those interested can hear how to improve their knowledge of English language for general and workplace communication, social interaction, job interviews, IELTS (International English Language Testing System) academic writing and interviews with migrants and English experts,” Mr Kumar said.
A qualified and experienced teacher, Mr Kumar is aware of the problems that people face if they are not conversant with English, the official (along with Maori) and commercial language of New Zealand. Like a few other languages, the spoken word differs in diction and style and hence migrants must understand the local expressions.
Practical problems
The 30-minute On Air lessons covers a number of areas including Pronunciation, Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing.
Despite his proficiency in English (his school education was based on the Cambridge system), he had difficulty communicating with Kiwis.
“We could not understand each other’s expressions,” he said.
A graduate (BA) in English and a postgraduate (MA) in Applied Linguistics, Malaysia-born Mr Kumar had a successful career in IT. He obtained a TESOL (Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages) from Trinity College, London, he joined Unitec Institute of Technology as a teacher of ‘English for Specific Purposes.’
He has also been a private tutor for the past ten years and enjoys working in his lifestyle farm. He serves the community as a Justice of the Peace and Marriage Celebrant.
In a newspaper interview published some time ago, Mr Kumar had said that many skilled migrants ‘were duped into coming to New Zealand.’
“Skilled migrants qualify under the immigration system, have their professional qualifications validated by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), and their skills matched to New Zealand’s skills shortages list. They therefore feel assured of being able to continue their careers.
“After arrival, some of them discover that they need to gain New Zealand registration or re-qualification, an expensive, time-consuming and stressful process where migrants pay to study skills they know backwards,” he said.
According to Mr Kumar, apart from welcoming potential migrants, Immigration New Zealand should also inform them of the ‘risks’ involved, the need to understand the possible language barriers and be prepared for a smooth settlement.
