Cebu eyed as English learning hub

CEBU, Philippines - A group of Cebuanos have come together to make Cebu a prime destination for English learning. This vision, once achieved, will develop another tourism attraction in Cebu.

The Cebu Hub For English Learning (CHELE), an association formed after a workshop that was held to brainstorm ideas on how to put Cebu as an English learning hub on the world map, is a brainchild of the Cebu Leads Foundation (CLF), a multi-sectoral coalition organized by a group of businessmen, corporate executives and civic leaders who are committed to help Cebu move forward by promoting livability, prosperity and good governance for all Cebuanos.

CLF president Bunny Pages said Chele will provide a venue where stakeholders, especially those engaged in teaching English as a second language (ESL), to link with and help each other to professionalize and standardize this booming sector.

 “Chele will help promote, supervise and make sure that (the teaching of) English in Cebu (to foreign students) will be done based on international standard,” he told a press conference at the City Sports Club Cebu for the 1st Cebu International Tesol (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) conference.

According to its website, Tesol was incorporated in 1966. It is a global association for English language teaching professionals headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. Tesol encompasses a network of approximately 60,000 educators worldwide, consisting of more than 14,000 individual members and an additional 45,000 educators within the 100 plus Tesol affiliate associations.

Representing a multifaceted academic discipline and profession, Tesol offers members serial publications, books, and electronic resources on current issues, ideas, and opportunities in the field of English language teaching. Tesol also conducts a variety of workshops and symposia, including an annual convention, regarded as the foremost professional development opportunity for English language educators worldwide.

Tesol's mission is to develop and maintain professional expertise in English language teaching and learning for speakers of other languages worldwide.

Roy Lotzof, CLF vice president, said Cebu has the potential to become an ESL destination.

“Cebu has all the necessary ingredients and potential. We just have to do it right (and we will start doing it right) with the Tesol conference,” he said.

The conference, scheduled on August 12 to 15 and anchored on the theme, “The English Language: The Power to Connect,” is the first of its kind in the country and in Asia, said Chele vice president Mila Espina.

The event will bring together both internationally and nationally renowned speakers and abstracts from over 100 educators worldwide. Topics will include, among others second language acquisition theories, teaching English to international students, professional issues on educational standards, alternative approaches and latest trends to teaching ESL and English for specific purposes.

The international conference will benefit teachers, professors, lecturers, researchers and even students from all universities and colleges offering English and education courses.