A Home Office committee set up last year to devise a compulsory citizenship program for the 110,000 immigrant who apply each year to become naturalized Briton, yesterday recommended that the citizenship test should focus on practical issue, such as housing and the NHS, rather than on British history
On the controversial areas of British history and compulsory language lessons, the committee responded to fears that the citizenship test could become of “culture colonialism”. Learning history should be optional and new citizens will be encouraged, rather than compelled, to learn English. They will instead be taught how to cope with life in British, hoe to find a job and be paid the minimum wage, and how to use the NHS and social services. The committee recommended that new citizens were also taught about how British is a “changing multicultural society”. This will include “etiquettes of everyday life, what makes for good neighbours. The changing status of women and the assumption of equality between the sexs”. There will also be a political lesson on British national institution, including the monarch, the prime minister, parliament and the cabinet.