UK CITIZENSHIP

 

The debate over the number of Afghanis we should allow to resettle in the UK under the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme continues, amid accusations of confusion and disingenuous information.  

It is important that those who come to live here are given the support they need to ensure that they can successfully integrate into our society and begin to lead normal lives again. A key part of this will be their ability to communicate in our language. Suggestions have been made that during the lengthy process of putting into place appropriate measures to provide a safe exit, the provision of English classes in Afghanistan should be considered in the meantime. Despite the risks, I would willingly volunteer to do so. However, as a long-standing teacher of English as a Foreign Language in this country, I have experienced great frustration in supporting immigrants through the bureaucratic minefield that exists. Presumably there will be funding for such classes to be held and, in my experience, this will involve needless paperwork to justify the exercise. Lots of it, which is not at all helpful. 

Ultimately one would hope that they may seek British citizenship. With this in mind, as a British native born and bred, and a keen patriot, I recently took the Citizenship Test. My score was just 65%, and I would challenge the majority of my fellow citizens to score much higher. What possible use is it in going about our daily lives to know the answers to questions such as:  

Ian McEwan, Hilary Mantel and Julian Barnes have all won which literary prize? 

Who or what is Clarice Cliff? 

The Scottish Parliament abolished the authority of the Pope in which year? 

I rest my case.