Teachers from the Vancouver campus of ESL school, PGIC, have been on strike since last Wednesday over failed wage negotiations with owner, Loyalist Group.

Student numbers in Canada’s language teaching sector have begun to stabIlise after falling almost 10% in 2013, representative body Languages Canada’s 2014 annual report has revealed. Member programmes reported a 6% increase in student numbers from 129,704 in 2013 to 137,416 in 2014.

The Malaysian government says it is on track to meet its goal of attracting 200,000 international students annually by 2020 as it implements new measures to raise English language levels in tertiary education. Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that all university students will be required to pass English language in order to graduate from university.

EF Education First, one of the world's largest English language training providers, has announced it will move into standardised testing with the launch of a free online exam that aims to rival established testing brands including TOEFL and IELTS due to its scope and accessibility.

Recent efforts by New Zealand’s government to increase international students to the Canterbury region are starting to have a positive effect. Figures show that after two years of significant decline the industry grew by 11% in 2013 led by the ESL sector which says study work rights have made the region competitive.

The Canadian federal government has announced CAN$10.5 million of funding for English as a Second Language (ESL) programmes for new migrants in British Columbia (BC), as part of a wider move to centralise management of services for new immigrants.

Ninety-four per cent of Pakistan’s primary and middle school teachers lack the necessary English language skills needed for providing a quality education in English, due to what a report from the British Council’s Punjab Education and English Language Initiative (PEELI) calls a lack of "buy-in" to the government's policy to expand and improve English medium education.

The Australian language school SELC has launched it third ever campus in Vancouver, Canada, offering language and vocational courses. The school has been open for three months and organisers already plan to expand course offerings and increase agent relations in what they call an "exciting but challenging" time for the business.