§ Mr. BatisteTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many people in the United Kingdom are estimated to have a workable knowledge of two, three or more than three European Community languages.
§ Mrs. RumboldOf the 656,000 pupils who left school in England in 1987–88, 260,200 had a graded result at GCSE (or O level/CSE) in at least one European Community language other than English. Of these, 216,700 had a graded result in only one such language, 41,800 had graded results in two and 1,700 had graded results in three or more.
§ Mr. BatisteTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers of Spanish, French, German and Italian there are in the United Kingdom at the secondary level.
§ Mr. Alan HowarthThe numbers of modern language teachers in maintained secondary schools in England in March 1988 were as follows:
Information on teachers in the rest of the United Kingdom is the responsibility of my right honourable Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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§ Mr. BatisteTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science at what age schoolchildren begin to study a foreign language.
§ Mrs. RumboldUnder the national curriculum, all pupils will be required to study a modern language from the age of 11 and will continue such study throughout the five years of compulsory secondary schooling. Primary and middle schools are free to provide foreign language teaching outside the national curriculum to pupils aged under 11, if they have the necessary staffing and other resources to do so.
§ Mr. BatisteTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many places there are in universities for students to learn Spanish, French, German and Italian.
Mr. JacksonInformation about the numbers of places available for students to study specific subjects is not held centrally. The data below show the numbers of full and part-time students, both undergraduates and postgraduates of both home and overseas domicile, studying at United Kingdom universities during the academic year 1988–89.
Language Number French 4,096 German 1,802 Italian 371 Spanish 664 Source:
Universities Statistical Record.
§ Mr. BatisteTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the initiatives to promote the study of a foreign language in the United Kingdom.
§ Mrs. RumboldI refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave him on 27 March 1990 at column172. We set up last August a national curriculum working group for modern foreign languages which is expected to recommend, by July 1990, attainment targets and programmes of study for modern foreign languages based on current best practice, in order to raise standards and to promote a stimulating and worthwhile challenge to pupils of all abilities during their period of compulsory secondary schooling. We aim to start implementing the attainment targets and programmes of study in schools from autumn 1992. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the working group's initial advice which was published on 15 March. The national curriculum applies to England and Wales.
The teaching of modern foreign languages in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility, respectively, of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, for Wales and for Northern Ireland.
§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what have been the percentage cuts in the university departments teaching oriental and African languages in the last five years in respect of(a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate provision.
Mr. JacksonFollowing the 1986 Parker report on Oriental and African language and area studies in universities, the University Grants Committee allocated £1.5 million to strengthen teaching and research in these subjects.
§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the numbers of44W students in British universities studying oriental and African languages for the years 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89 and 1989–90.
Mr. JacksonThe information covers university full-time and part-time students, undergraduates and postgraduates. Information for the academic year beginning in 1989 is not yet available centrally.
Students at universities in Great Britain studying oriental and African languages Academic year beginning Chinese Other/Oriental/Asian/African 1986 Home 270 389 Overseas 26 124 Total 296 513 1987 Home 268 505 Overseas 28 176 Total 296 681 1988 Home 289 561 Overseas 37 183 Total 326 744 Source: Universities Statistical Record.