Studies have shown that learning a new language can help with concentration, boost your memory and improve your problem-solving skills. However, the number of pupils in state secondary schools taking a language GCSE has been falling for many years. A study by Dr Karen Forbes at the University of Cambridge found that the more languages were offered, the better students’ grades were in all languages. Historian Dr Tessa Dunlop said that including a Romanian GCSE in schools would help Romanians feel welcome. Perhaps if there were more languages on offer, it would encourage pupils to study them. However, there is a shortage of foreign language teachers in the UK. What do you think? Should schools offer more languages?
Yes – more choice encourages students
Dr Karen Forbes, who led the University of Cambridge study, said offering a wider range of languages gives students a choice, “and they are more likely to be motivated if they are studying a language they have actively chosen”. The study also found that for every extra language offered at GCSE, schools’ average scores for GCSE languages rose by almost a quarter of a grade. Offering Romanian students in England the chance to study their native language would show pupils that their culture is valued – and the same is true for the many nationalities who live in the UK. That’s an important message. The Department for Education said learning languages helps people “think critically and understand new perspectives”.
No – there are enough options already
Learning a language is not compulsory in all schools. Even if other options were offered it would not necessarily mean that more pupils would choose to study one. Not everyone wants to learn languages either; some schools have reported that this is because pupils think they will be more difficult than other subjects, or won’t help them get a job as much as other GCSE options will. Wouldn’t it be better to offer GCSE options that are not available at the moment – such as environmental science – or even invent new ones instead? There is also a shortage of foreign language teachers in schools in the UK, so if you did introduce lots of new languages for pupils to learn, it’s not clear who would teach them.