§ Mr. Colin ShepherdTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many teachers qualified to teach the Japanese language are currently employed by local education authorities and teaching in(a) secondary schools to GCSE level and (b) in sixth forms to A-level; and if he will make a statement on the teaching of Japanese in Welsh schools.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsInformation on teachers qualified to teach Japanese is not available.
We have continued to promote the teaching of Japanese in schools in Wales through the Japanese in schools initiative launched in 1989. The initiative has established a sixth-form course of study and assessment scheme accredited by the Welsh Joint Education Committee and has supported teaching of Japanese in 14 schools participating in the initiative.