ESL Cebu's Blog - Want to learn English in Cebu, Philippines?

A COMPLAINT was lodged by parents of students at the Curva Elementary School in Medellin, Cebu against a teacher for allegedly not holding classes, collecting illegal school funds and borrowing money from his students.

WHEN the teacher heard her pupils singing in her class while she was writing the lesson on the chalkboard, she approached them. She did not praise them. Instead, she pulled their hair.

The growing number of foreign students flocking to the Philippines to learn English has prompted a London-based news website to call it "the world's low-cost English teacher."

There are a number of quiet hobbies anyone can engage in once they reach retirement age: from cross-stitching to playing chess to taking long walks.

A JAPAN-based English tutorial school is investing $4 million on a new facility at the Cebu IT Park.

QQ (Quick and Quality) English Tutorial School recently expanded its Cebu operations by occupying three floors of Skyrise 4, one of the serious investments so far by a Japanese firm in English as Second Language (ESL) education in Cebu, according to Department Tourism 7 Director Rowena Montecillo.

CHILDREN lined up inside the covered court to receive school supplies, while adults sat on plastic chairs waiting to read the letters on an eye chart.

Dressed in bright Korean costumes, little boys and girls smiled before a photo-spewing camera. Others giggled as they learned to say “Good morning” in Korean.

A disgruntled viewer is suing Japan's national broadcaster for "mental distress" caused by an excessive use of words borrowed from English.

Hoji Takahashi, 71, is seeking 1.4 million yen ($14,300; £9,300) in damages from NHK.

A school in Ilocos Norte seems to have taken its “English-only” rule a bit too seriously, as it recently expelled students for speaking in the vernacular.

A DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd) official is optimistic of addressing the 2010 backlog in teachers, classrooms, textbooks, school seats, and water and sanitation facilities if its proposed 2014 budget will be approved.

Mandaue Holiday - There will be no work and classes in Mandaue City on Aug. 30, as the City celebrates its 44th Charter Day celebration.

Malacañang issued a proclamation declaring Aug. 30, which falls on a Friday, a special non-working day in Mandaue City.

Do you often ignore traffic rules and the blue ticket issued for that violation?

Beware - drivers who pile up Traffic Citation Tickets (TCT) don't realize that the offenses can end up in court with a warrant of arrest issued against them.

THERE are four non-working holidays this month, including one that will cover only Cebu Province.

The number will increase to five once President Benigno Aquino III approves the request of the Mandaue City Council to declare Aug. 30 a special non-working day in the city.

THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) has no training regulation in place for schools offering ESL (English as a Second Language) courses, meaning ESL schools create their own curriculum, a Tesda 7 staff said yesterday.

Rescue personnel rushed to a van-for-hire that plunged off a cliff in Barangay Babag 2, Cebu City yesterday afternoon. All 15 people in the van, including the driver, suffered minor injuries. 

For Japanese student Keiko Abe, Cebuanos’ ease with English in and outside classrooms is a reason she is studying in Cebu City.

And the University of the Philippines Cebu junior, who chose to move from Manila to Cebu three years ago, enjoys this bonus: “Cebu can offer better service (at a) lower price,” training foreigners like her on English as a second language (ESL).

A BUS LOAD of Iranian medical students, doctors and their family members plunged down a ravine some 60 feet below the Transcentral Highway in Barangay Cansumoroy, Balamban town, killing at least 20 passengers.

CEBU, Philippines - A Japanese national aims to deviate from the traditional English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teaching approach by venturing into the business and implementing his own educational curriculum, thus providing employment opportunities to Cebuanos at the same time.

A van carrying foreign nationals collided with a truck in Barangay Matutinao, Badian on Friday, killing a driver and injuring 11 passengers.

Are you smarter than an eighth grader? How about an eighth grader who graduated in 1912? A copy of an eighth-grade exam from that year shows test-taking wasn't so easy for those early-20th-century students.

A KOREAN national was wounded during a robbery in Barangay San Isidro, Talisay City at dawn yesterday.

The victim was with two other Koreans when they were robbed at gunpoint.