Languages - Foreign speakers wanted

15th January 2010, 12:00am

Share

Languages - Foreign speakers wanted

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/languages-foreign-speakers-wanted

Primary pupils should learn Mandarin and Arabic to help UK businesses, according to Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary in England.

He said UK plc increasingly needed children to learn the languages of countries where Britain had “very important contacts”.

And all secondary schools should offer lessons in Mandarin, he said, citing a poll in which employers rated the language the most useful for their employees to speak - after French and German.

In the Confederation of British Industry’s poll of 581 businesses, conducted last year, 38 per cent of bosses said they were looking for staff with Mandarin or Cantonese. Just over half - 52 per cent - wanted French speakers, while 43 per cent and 28 per cent wanted German and Spanish respectively. Mandarin would become as popular a language as French, German or Spanish, predicted Mr Balls.

A report by the Department for Children, Schools and Families said that from next year, all primary schools in England must offer pupils aged seven and older lessons in a foreign language. They can choose from a wide range of languages, from Arabic to Mandarin and Japanese to French. All secondary pupils should have the opportunity to learn languages like Mandarin if they chose, said the report.

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Keep reading for just £1 per month

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get:

  • Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
  • Exclusive subscriber-only stories
  • Award-winning email newsletters
Recent
Most read
Most shared