Just 5 percent of immigrants with limited English proficiency in the region are enrolled in programs supported by the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, according to a report by the Boston Foundation last year.
The report concluded that more than 10,000 people were on waiting lists for classes, for as long as two years. Others who could benefit from the classes may not know about them or weren’t applying, according to the report. The need for classes has grown as the number of immigrants in Greater Boston has increased - with about 6,000 arriving each year, according to the Boston Foundation.
In Framingham, the waiting lists have been so long - now about 450, compared with seats for 650 students - that in recent years, the program’s administrators created a new policy. Any applicant who has been denied a class spot for five semesters would automatically get in the following semester.
“We figure that’s quite a commitment,’’ said Christine Tibor, director of Framingham Adult ESL Plus, noting the 2 1/2-year wait. “You could get an associate’s degree in that time.’’
In other communities, especially those with larger numbers of immigrants with limited English skills, the demand is also great. Some students wait three years to get a spot in English classes at the Waltham Power Program, said director Kathleen Chlapowski. About 200 students are currently enrolled, and another 200 are waiting, she said.
The benefits of the English classes are clear to people who have taken them.
Tran Finneran moved to Framingham from her native Vietnam about 2 1/2 years ago when she married a US citizen. When her older son started school, she was asked to join a school-affiliated English class so she could support his learning. When the program chose students to continue at Framingham Adult ESL Plus, she was on the list.
“For me, English is very important,’’ Finneran said. “Especially if I want to go to college, I need more. My dream is to get to college.’’
