‘I want to teach my son and I am doing my everything- indoor, outdoor- myself.’

Sumaia, Asiya, Bushba, Rizwana and Shagufta are all learning English at the Al-Hikmah Centre in Batley, a town in Kirklees in West Yorkshire.  The Course is provided by Ravensthorpe Community Centre and is taught by volunteer teachers Jess and Saeeda. The ladies are originally from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka and between them, they speak […]

Sumaia, Asiya, Bushba, Rizwana and Shagufta are all learning English at the Al-Hikmah Centre in Batley, a town in Kirklees in West Yorkshire.  The Course is provided by Ravensthorpe Community Centre and is taught by volunteer teachers Jess and Saeeda.

The ladies are originally from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka and between them, they speak five languages- Bengali, Urdu, Gurjarati, Sinhalese and Italian.

Bushba told us that she was learning English to be more independent and help her children:

‘I like to speak well English.  I want to teach my son and I am doing my everything- indoor, outdoor- myself.’

The other ladies are learning English for the same reasons:

‘I learn English for improve my English for when I go for doctor and library.’  Sumaia

‘I like speaking English so I want to learn English because I want to teach my son and daughters.’  Asiya

In the classes, the ladies learn ‘grammar and spellings and how to do sentences and lot of new words’ as well as speaking.  When asked about their teachers, the learners were full of praise for them:

‘They are very kind and patient and they help us.’

For details of the Talk English project in Kirklees, visit their homepage and course details pages.