Learning other languages has always been an integral part of the school education experience. In today’s multicultural society, this has never been more relevant. The UK education system has now made plans to teach two or more foreign languages in British schools in order to prepare them for the future. Children in Falkirk, Scotland will now benefit from national funding to provide extra classes in other languages. Up to £300,000 has been allocated for this scheme, which aims to provide classes in French and Spanish from primary year one, and extra languages from primary year five. These proposed languages include Mandarin and German. The local education council intends to train primary school teachers, using this funding, so that all pupils will be learning additional languages by at least 2020. This strategy is known as the “1+2 Languages Strategy” and is currently being submitted to the Scottish government. Teaching languages at this earlier age had many advantages, including further interest to take languages at a secondary school level. If successful, the scheme has a plan over the next five years, in which teachers will be give training through taster, refresher and fast-track sessions, based on their language teaching experience. It is also hoped that Spanish and French as a second language will eventually be piloted after an evaluation period. Administration education spokesman Alan Nimmo stated about the scheme: “In today’s world, where business and travel are worldwide, it is important our children can learn about other languages and cultures. “Considering that more than 75% of the world’s population does not speak English, additional languages are an invaluable skill in a global society.” He went on to say: “Learning languages has the potential to open doors to different possibilities and experiences the world over for children in the area.”
