October, 2016
The new space dedicated to English language learning will benefit more than 14 million students, from the seventeen highly-vulnerable educational establishments that are associated with the Casa Central’s Biblioteca Escolar Futuro, located in Santiago. This project is made possible in part by donations from Friends of Catholic University in Chile, Inc.
In this image, the Provost of Institutional Management, Patricio Donoso, and Pura Ortiz, board member of Friends of Catholic University in Chile, Inc.
UC’s Biblioteca Escolar Futuro inaugurated the “English Corner”, an outstanding new initiative located in the Casa Central. This space is dedicated to English language learning, with literature and other resources that promote language learning in young people from its associated schools.
The “English Corner” will be a place where students from the 17 establishments that are linked with Biblioteca Escolar Futuro will have access to English language versions of the most-read young adult series. There will also be movies based on books.
Along with these resources, in its initial stage, an English-speaking UC foreign exchange student will join the already-existing Academic Tutoring program, in order to support this new project, and to provide assistance to the visiting students in their English learning. At the same time, in collaboration with the Faculties of Letters and Education, and the English UC Language Center, the program will offer English language activities in order to invite schools and promote the existence of the “English Corner”.
The Executive Director of the Biblioteca Escolar Futuro commented that this initiative allows the University to strengthen national educational policy, where English is a fundamental subject, by providing teachers and students from local schools access to language learning textbooks, literature, CDs, and other resources which complement their English language learning.
UC Provost of Institutional Management, Patricio Donoso, emphasized that “the English language has become a fundamental tool for academic and professional success. The majority of young people in schools are at a disadvantage when it comes to English and other foreign language learning.” The English Corner, made possible by support from Friends UC, is an important step in addressing this problem.