Seventeen new SEARCA scholars are participating in a Basic English Course which will run until 30 July 2019. The scholars come from Cambodia (1), Indonesia (5), Lao PDR (1), Myanmar (1), Philippines (2), Timor Leste (4), and Vietnam (3). The course covers four modules: Writing and Grammar, Conversations for Social and Academic Situations including Oral Reports/Presentations, Pronunciation Improvement, and Reading and Vocabulary Enrichment.
During the opening program last 17 July, Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, expressed his warm welcome to the participants and lecturers of the course. He also pointed out in his message, "that this is only a crash course or a basic training. You must continuously practice communicating in English after the course so that you may reap and maximize its benefits."
The training is conducted by a team led by Prof. Emerita P. Cervantes, a retired Assistant Professor from the University of the Philippines Los Baños where she also served as Head of the English Division and Coordinator of the Language Instruction Towards Excellence (LITE) Program of the College of Arts and Sciences. Her team has been the technical service provider for the Basic English Course for SEARCA's incoming scholars since 2016.
The Basic English Course is offered annually by SEARCA's Graduate Education and Institutional Development Department (GEIDD) for new SEARCA scholars to boost their language proficiency and prepare them for their graduate studies.
