Labour Laments Loss Of Languages

Labour has warned that some languages vital to UK’s economic future could be lost after exam boards dropped qualifications in Portuguese and Turkish

10:43 27 March 2015

Exam boards have announced plans to drop qualifications in languages such as Portuguese and Turkish. Because of this, the Labour has warned that this could lead to losing some modern languages vital to UK’s economic future. Shadow education Tristram Hunt called for immediate action to ensure that these languages are not lost from the curriculum. 

 

Mr Hunt said the government had "caused chaos in our education system, rushing through changes on a political timetable... to the detriment of the kind of broad and stretching curriculum needed in our schools if we are to succeed in a country in the global economy".

He added: "Precisely at the time we need to be harnessing our entrepreneurial capital and soft power in the new emerging economies, the government's actions will lead to fewer young people being able to take A-Levels in Portuguese, Turkish, Gujarati and Punjabi."

 

Meanwhile, a Department for Education spokeswoman said: "It is down to exam boards to decide which languages they want to offer as reformed A-levels. But we will be raising concerns about non-traditional languages with the boards and asking them to reconsider their decision,"