British teenagers
are trapped in a "vicious circle of monolingualism", a report warned recently as
figures showed English youngsters are among the worst in Europe at foreign
languages.
Teenagers in 14
different European countries were tested on their ability to speak the first
foreign language taught in schools, which for England was French.
In reading, writing
and listening tests, English pupils were ranked bottom.
The study suggests
youngsters are lagging far behind their European peers, with many unable to
understand more than basic words or phrases.
Just 11 percent of
English pupils studying French were considered "independent users" in writing –
the lowest in Europe for a first foreign language. In comparison, across all
countries, two-fifths of students were at this level.
Only 9.2 percent
were ranked in the top category for French reading – again, the lowest in Europe
for a first foreign language.
The highest
performers overall, based on reading, listening and writing skills, were Sweden,
Malta and the Netherlands, the research found.
But France, where
students' English skills were tested, also performed badly, perfoming
second-worst in all three disciplines.
The study,
conducted as part of the European Survey on Language Competences (ESLC) was
released on the same day a new report from the British Academy found that the
UK's poor foreign language skills were hurting the economy.
The British Academy
report said a "vicious circle of monolingualism" was taking place, as the dearth
of necessary skills forced British employers to "sidestep language issues",
removing incentives for new language students.
"It is clear that
the UK still has a long way to go in order to catch up with our European
neighbors and international competitors," said Professor Nigel Vincent,
Vice-President of the British Academy. "Languages are vital for the health and
wellbeing of the education and research base, for UK competitiveness, and for
individuals and society at large."
It also found that
the current focus on French, Spanish and German was too narrow to meet modern
global business needs.
"Indications of
future demand show that a growing number of languages will be needed as the UK
expands its global connections and responds to new economic realities," it says.
"These include not only world languages such as Mandarin, Arabic and Russian –
but also Turkish, Farsi and Polish."
Last year the
Government announced that for the first time all primary school children will
have to learn a foreign language from age seven. Currently about one in ten
state primary schools offers no language lessons at all and a further 20 percent
only offer it to some year groups, according to the most recent official
figures.
The move to make
languages a requirement from age seven will take effect next year.

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2013/03/07 010:52

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