The Provision of English as a Second Language (E.S.L.) Training to Adult Newcomers: Six Principles toward a National Policy. Position Paper.

Recommendations of a 1980 symposium on English as a second language (ESL) programs for Southeast Asian adult refugees and immigrants in Canada are discussed, along with six principles toward a Canadian policy for providing ESL training to this population. Ten major points of the 53 recommendations of a position papers of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESL) Canada are presented, along with a brief introduction to TESL Canada and background information to the TESL Canada position paper. It is recommended that language training be recognized as the key factor in immigrant integration and should be made explicit through new federal language-training policy that integrates social and employment rationales. A two-stage post-arrival model is also advocated that would involve a full-time, 3-month (300-hour) reception program combining survival English with native-language orientation services, as well as occupational assessment and career counseling. It is recommended that the new Canadian language-training policy should adhere to six basic principles set out by TESL Canada: accessibility to ESL training, flexibility and sufficiency, coordination, support for settlement services, Canadian content in the ESL Program, and the key role of the ESL profession. Appendices include: a 1981-1982 TESL Canada Directory, a list of recommendations from the 1981 Greater Toronto Southeast Asian Refugee Task Force Report, a summary of recommendations to the federal government, and a bibliography. (SW)