Students from abroad who wish to improve their English have the opportunity to enrol in the Language Centre’s Intensive English Programme (IEP). The programme encourages students from different levels or blocks within the IEP to meet on Fridays for a language workshop specifically to interact and speak English.
On Friday, 23 August, our current IEP international students toured the SU Botanical Garden with a very knowledgeable and interesting guide, Sandiswa Kula. She provided students with anecdotes and information about the various plant species, insects, animals and birds that can be found at the gardens. Students visited the various glass houses, the lily pond, the Bonsai forest, the Protea bushes and herb garden, asked questions and compared the flora and fauna they saw with those in their home countries.
An IEP block entails 20 hours of English language instruction from 9:00 to 13:00, Monday to Friday, for 8 weeks. Instructors who are qualified to teach English as a foreign language teach from a variety of course books and modified resources to develop students’ reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. In addition there is a focus on grammar, pronunciation and building vocabulary. New applicants write a placement test, which helps to place them in the appropriate level.
The dates of the next blocks are as follows:
2019: 14 October to 6 December
2020: 3 February to 27 March, 6 April to 29 May, 8 June to 31 July, 11 August to 2 October, 12 October to 4 December.
If you are interested or would like more information, contact the Language Centre’s IEP coordinator, Shannon Bishop.
