My brief sojourn to the South of France earlier this year brought home the importance of learning a foreign language. Admittedly, that was because I accidentally asked for a shuttle turnip to my destination, rather than a shuttle bus (navet versus navette). Nonetheless, faux-pas aside, foreign languages are very important and it was with disappointment that I read the Independent’s article on the decline in trainee modern foreign language teachers at primary and secondary level.
This does not, I thought, bode well. It has been said many times that our school leavers are at a disadvantage in the European recruitment market due to lack of foreign languages but, equally important are the benefits that language learning from an early age gives us; children learn languages more easily at a younger age and that it can open up a whole new dimension for children, contributing to the development of individual intelligence and improving overall results in school.
That said, when I looked into this in a bit more detail, I discovered that, in 2008, the number of primary schools teaching a second language was up from 70 per cent in 2007 and 44 per cent in 2002. So maybe the two reports indicate that, after a considerable rise in the number of language teachers following changes to the curriculum the recruitment drive has tailed off slightly. I’m hoping this is the case – I am naturally optimistic but it has been said that I see the world through rose tinted glasses sometimes. Still, the happy thought of future generations of learners chatting away in French, German, Spanish or Japanese – or at the very least, not mistakenly asking for vegetable-based transport – is enough to keep me smiling.
Rick
on Nov 16th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Foreign languages are extrenely important, but many English people think that they do not need to integrate when travelling, and that the foreign people should speak English. I have sent my son to a language college where he will be learning French, German, Spanish, and even Chinese