George Brown College closing key ESL program, leaving students and faculty ‘shocked'
Faculty and students are outraged after George Brown College announced it's shuttering a key ESL program amid financial pressures and a drop in international student enrolment. The move will result in faculty layoffs, and newcomers having to look elsewhere to prepare for the Canadian workforce.
In an internal email May 2 to faculty and staff of the college's Centre for Preparatory and Liberal Studies, the centre's dean, Susan Toews, confirmed George Brown's English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program will be phased out, with a planned permanent closure in 2026.
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