The Three Africas

        When many people hear the word Africa, they picture steaming jungles and gorillas. Hollywood films have shrunk the public image of this immense, varied continent into a small segment of its actual diversity. To have a more accurate picture of the whole continent, however, one should remember that there are, roughly, three Africas, each with its distinct climate and terrain and with a style of life suited to the environment. The continent can be divided into the northern desert areas, the southeastern grasslands, and the tropical jungles to the southwest.         The northern regions have the environment and living patterns of the desert. Egypt, Libya, Algeria, and Morocco have hot, dry climates with very little land suited to farming. Therefore, the population tends to be clustered into cities along rivers or the seacoast or into smaller settlements near oases. For thousands of years, people have lived in this vast region, subsisting partly on what crops and animals they could raise and partly on trade with Europe.
        The southeastern grasslands provide a better environment for animal life and for some kinds of crops. Many wild animals inhabit the plains in this region--elephants, giraffes, rhinoceros, antelopes, zebras, and lions. The people in this area have long been expert cattle raisers and hunters. Tea, coffee, cotton, cashew nuts, and tobacco are some of the main products grown in this region. Fishing also provides some food and income for people along the coast. The population here is less concentrated in cities and towns than in the north, but tends to be denser in areas where adequate rainfall and fertile soil make farming possible.
        West Africa is the region closest to the Hollywood image of mysterious jungles. As in the other two regions, the way people subsist depends upon their environment. This does not mean that most of the people live in grass huts in the jungle. Such nations as Nigeria have become highly modernized by income from oil, timber, and minerals. Most of the western countries have some farming that provides food and income; sugar cane, coffee, and tobacco are the important cash crops, while bananas, rice, and corn are raised for food. Fishing in the rivers and along the coast also accounts for food and income, and precious stones, especially diamonds, enhance the economy of Angola and the Ivory Coast.
        Even a superficial look at the major regions of Africa shows that it is a varied continent with several environments. Although most of the continent is tropical in its range of temperature, the climate ranges from deserts to rain forests. Similarly, human life-styles vary from the simplest rural villages to industrial cities, both new and ancient. Contrary to the myth, however, jungle life makes up only a very small portion of the whole of Africa.

The change in employment opportunities for English language teachers

Since the early 1970s, there has been significant growth in the number of students studying in the English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) sector in Australia. However, despite this growth, by the late nineties, it was becoming more difficult to obtain employment as a teacher of general English as the ELICOS sector experienced difficulties. This essay will consider some of the causes of the change in employment opportunities for English language teachers, and some of the effects.

The first cause of the change in employment opportunities was the dramatic downturn in the economies of several Asian countries in the late nineties. The downturn resulted in a sudden devaluation of currencies in Indonesia, Japan and Thailand, for example. This led to a fewer number of people being able to afford study overseas, including preparatory English language classes in Australia, because of the lower value of currencies. Fewer students meant fewer classes resulting in decreased employment opportunities for teachers of English.

Secondly, in the late nineties Australian visa requirements for overseas students were changed. A new conservative Liberal government was elected and replaced the less restrictive Labour Party government. The new government introduced visa policy changes that led to a decrease in the number of overseas students planning to study in Australia which also led to reduced employment opportunities for English teachers.

These two factors led to a decrease in the numbers of students and opportunities for employment for teachers of English in Australia, and these, in turn, led to some clear effects for the ELICOS industry.

The first effect of the changes in student numbers led to colleges becoming more active in marketing their own programs. Up until then most colleges had offered similar programs. Reduced numbers of students meant that institutions had to become more competitive. As a result, university language centres, for example, formed an association to promote their courses, and took a stronger language training approach. This ensured that overseas students studying in university language centres were assured of a quality language program.

Anther effect was a change in the type of courses offered in many centres. As competition increased, centres began to promote specific courses to attract particular student groups. There was an increase in English for specific purposes (ESP) courses especially academic English and courses for professions. This led to changes in the requirements of what types of course teachers had to take. Previously, general English courses were clearly the most common type of course, however, this changed to academic and specific purposes courses for which needed particular types of experience and qualifications. This meant that teachers now needed to have a greater variety of academic and professional backgrounds.

To sum up, there have been changes to employment opportunities in Australian language centres since the nineties as a result of visa requirements, and the economic crisis of 1997. The changes have led preference for employment of teachers with experience in teaching particular types of courses. It appears this trend will continue as most students plan to enter, or continue, higher education after their ELICOS programs.

English is the first choice of second language studens

Increasingly, over the past fifteen to twenty years, greater numbers of people have been studying English. What causes people to study English? Why does it continue to be the first-choice of most second language students around the world? The reasons, of course, vary from person to person, and it is important to note that a reason why a person studies is no more important or valid than a different reason that motivates another person to study English. This essay will examine some of these causes along with some of the effects of English study.

Firstly, the fact that greater numbers of students are electing to study English will inevitably lead to a better educated generation of learners. More and more of the current generation of students are choosing to go outside of only learning their own language and ‘traditional’ subjects in their home countries by studying abroad, firstly in English language courses, then in tertiary courses conducted in English. The number of international students in Australia, for example, has risen from around 90,000 in 1994 to over 300,000 only ten years later. And this is not just happening in English-speaking countries. Places like Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai, for example, have all experienced increases in students coming to study English language courses and tertiary programs in English.

Another cause of why people study English is for extrinsic reasons. A person who has an extrinsic motivation, wants to achieve something else other than language improvement. Students who are extrinsically motivated believe that study will lead to positive results in other parts of their lives, such as a better salary, a better job or a place at university, for example. Extrinsically motivated students may also have been told to study by someone else, for instance, their parents or the company they work for. Some students are told they must study English in order to progress in a company, or in order to gain promotion. Study, then, does not become a choice, it becomes a necessity, something they feel they have to do.

Finally, some students choose to study English for another reason; it is the international language. This reason may be either intrinsic or extrinsic, and it is perhaps the most fundamental cause of why students choose to study English. Students are not necessarily choosing English; they are choosing the international language which, right now, happens to be English. Fifty years ago it would have been French, and in fifty years time it may be Mandarin. However, as more students choose to study English because it is the international language, it further strengthens the position of English as the international language. People make this choice because it is the language of business, the Internet, of sports and entertainment, of travel and of global politics. It makes sense to become proficient in a language you may use in so many ways.

These causes have led to ever-increasing numbers of students deciding to take English language courses. Let us now look at some of the effects of this choice to study English.

Firstly, the fact that greater numbers of students are electing to study English will inevitably lead to a better educated generation of learners. More and more of the current generation of students are choosing to go outside of only learning their own language and ‘traditional’ subjects in their home countries by studying abroad, firstly in English language courses, then in tertiary courses conducted in English. The number of international students in Australia, for example, has risen from around 90,000 in 1994 to over 300,000 only ten years later. And this is not just happening in English-speaking countries. Places like Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai, for example, have all experienced increases in students coming to study English language courses and tertiary programs in English.

Secondly, there is the value in the increased communication potential that learners acquire. The ability of people from non-English speaking backgrounds to communicate more clearly with other people in English is clearly improved by the number of people now learning the language. In other words, the more people who learn English, the better we will be able to communicate around the world. This can lead to increased cultural understanding which can only be positive.

Finally, another effect of the increasing numbers of students choosing English can be seen in the industry of English itself. As more and more students study both at home and abroad, the whole education industry has continued to grow. Both English language centres and tertiary courses accepting international enrolments have seen a huge growth in numbers in the last fifteen years. In Australia, the growth in international student numbers has resulted in a billion-dollar industry. It is one of the country's most important exports.

In conclusion, it is clear that there are a range of reasons why people choose to study English. The effects of this are still being felt around the world as English continues to grow in importance and the number of speakers continues to rise.