HC Deb 06 December 1962 vol 668 cc1482-3
17. Mr. Dalyell

asked the Minister of Education what action he is taking to establish pilot schemes in the teaching of Russian in primary schools since the publication of the Annan Report.

Sir E. Boyle

I am considering the possibility of organising, jointly with the Nuffield Foundation, a pilot scheme for foreign language teaching in primary schools. This experiment is unlikely to include Russian, but one of its objects will be to establish whether more pupils would be likely to learn a second foreign language, including Russians, in the secondary schools, if an earlier start were made with a first foreign language.

Mr. Dalyell

Is the Minister aware that a pupil's imitative linguistic ability may be at its height between the ages of 8 and 12 and there is every reason for teaching the Cyrillic alphabet during the primary school period?

Sir E. Boyle

This is an interesting point which I should be pleased to study further. On the whole, the general feeling I have encountered is that primary schools can best help by preparing the way for the introduction of Russian at a later stage. I know that there are others who feel like the hon. Member and I have a completely open mind on this question.

Mrs. Slater

Can the Minister tell us why he puts another language, which I think would be French, in preference to Russian, since Russian may be very much more useful at the end of the child's life than French may be?

Sir E. Boyle

The hon. Lady is on a perfectly fair point. Mainly for scientists and for others a knowledge of Russian and the work being done in Russian is going to be of crucial importance. I am told that where French is taught by certain means to very young children they can act in a French play within quite a few months, even if they have no academic knowledge of French grammar. I am not sure whether the same could happen with Russian. I think that there are real doubts about this. In other words, we know more where French is concerned than we know where Russian is concerned. I repeat that I have a completely open mind on this subject.

Mr. Dalyell

How does the Minister explain the fact that Greek has been taught to little boys with considerable success for many decades?

Sir E. Boyle

I am bound to say that people may hold different opinions as to the amount of success with which both Latin and Greek have been taught to certain boys at school. The Report of the Annan Committee suggests that our main efforts for the present should go to teaching Russian in secondary schools catering for abler children, but I must emphasise that this is a subject which needs to be studied and considered further.