Burngreave’s proud record under threat

Burngreave has a proud record of welcoming newcomers to the city and the country - many of them fleeing persecution and oppression.
For a hundred years immigrants and refugees have found a home in Burngreave and have been able to establish themselves and contribute to the community as workers and through the culture they bring with them.
Now this long tradition is being threatened by policies which ignore the reality of the lives asylum seekers are leading in this country.
This lastest edition of the Burngreave Learner is devoted largely to reporting that reality - to explaining the problems which prevent the refugee and immigrant community of Burngreave from taking advantage of the education on offer in Sheffield.
Many in that community have to cope with poverty, social isolation and homelessness.
Most are eager to learn the language of what they hope will be their new homeland - but cannot afford the high fees the Government has introduced for English Language courses.
The work of the Burngreave Community Learning Campaign has been devoted to encouraging everyone to improve their skills and educational qualifications.
Until recently the campaign - with the enthusiastic support of its partners in schools, colleges and the community - has been able to do that job.
People, both in the host community and among more recent arrivals, have responded to the campaign and many have successfully completed courses which offer them new directions to their lives.
But now one group in our community - refugees and asylum seekers - is being denied the opportunities that others have had.
English as a Second Language courses have been closed down because new regulations make them too expensive for students; the fact that many are not allowed to work but do not receive benefits means they cannot earn the money to pay for courses; when they are allowed to work, their poor English means they cannot find jobs - so they are trapped in a system which stops them getting the education they need.
Our campaign will do what it can to support them in their search for the education they need but the reality of their lives makes that almost impossible.