Many ELT Companies in the UK Might face Closure
“If there is little recovery ahead of the crucial summer season, the ELT sector will face a perpetual winter, and many businesses will not make it through.”
Jodie Gray, Chief Executive of English UK
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced how the current lockdown in England will be eased with schools and colleges opening on 8th March for face-to-face learning. The devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are setting similar steps.
Many English Language schools and ELT centres welcomed the news and are preparing to reopen on 8th March but some stakeholders feel that government support is needed for the Educational sector due to ongoing travel restrictions and rules on quarantine that are both costly and logistically impractical for many students considering travelling and studying English language course in the near future.
English UK said in their statement that its member centres will operate safe learning and working environments for students and staff following Covid-19 secure guidance. Several ELT centres have announced opening their doors in March for in-person delivery but with remote or hybrid learning options for students who are self-isolating or who are not able to study in a classroom.
The association stressed in their statement the fact of reopening the border for international travel is important with many centres hoping for a good summer season otherwise they will face business closures and further struggles.
“We are calling on the UK government to work with the UK ELT and wider tourism industries to develop a plan to reopen travel that both protects public health while allowing sectors reliant on inbound international travel to recover.
Current travel restrictions mean that entry to England is banned from 33 ‘red list’ countries for non-UK residents and citizens, while all other arrivals must provide a negative test and observe a self-isolation period of 10 days. In Scotland, all arrivals must quarantine in a government-approved hotel.
The UK government statement has set a date of lifting all social restrictions by June 21st with subject to conditions being met.
English UK lobbying work continues with a presentation to the government on behalf of UK ELT asking for inclusion of language schools in existing Business rates Relief for the 2020/21 financial year as many schools were excluded, include ELT institutions in other current and future support for the tourism, leisure and hospitality industries and extend the furlough scheme.
Jodie Gray, chief executive of English UK said that before the pandemic ELT centres were strong and attracting more students coming to study English than any other global competitors and that now the support is needed the government is neglecting the sector.
She stated: “Once international travel resumes and quarantine ends, ELT centres will be busy, viable businesses once more. They are just desperate to get business rates relief and associated support the Chancellor promised to all leisure and hospitality businesses so that they can survive this period. Nobody can understand why ELT is excluded: we suspect there is some confusion about what our members actually do.”
The plans for the UK coming out of lockdown are surely welcomed but the road to full recovery is still long and further support is necessary amongst the ELT centres and stakeholders.
