I read with interest your editorial (Fate of modern languages, October 3). Concerns that we cannot afford to be monolingual in a global economy have been articulated repeatedly in recent years by many members of the language community in Scotland and associated stakeholders.
Members of the Scottish Association of Language Teaching gave strong support to my proposal to petition the Scottish Parliament on this matter in November 2006. The petition statement noted: "getting by" in the global marketplace without an effective foreign languages policy for Scotland is no longer an option. Scottish pupils and students need to engage in integrated, progressive foreign language learning, from primary to higher education. Otherwise, we face being left behind by fellow European citizens and others when competing for jobs.
The petition called upon MSPs to debate the need to make a step-change in strategy and promote foreign language learning and intercultural awareness in Scotland's schools, colleges and universities.
I am pleased to report that the Public Petitions Committee heard evidence in last month from me and other representatives of the language community. The committee agreed there was sufficient concern to consult more widely.
A proper languages charter for Scottish school pupils and university students is long overdue, with realistic funding identified for languages provision in HE an essential commitment. Otherwise, the languages provision interface between secondary school and university will continue to malfunction, and in particular the loss of pioneering, vocationally relevant language teaching (and research) in Scottish higher education will continue.
The Scottish Government recently consulted on its proposals for A Strategy for Scotland's Languages (2007). The government also published recently an upbeat policy document, Scotland's strategy for stronger engagement with Germany (2007), which appeared to recognise the value of learning German for the Scottish economy.
However, neither document identified additional funding streams. The document specifically states that the proposed strategy is not designed to be a "specific resource allocation".
It seems unlikely, in the short term, that Scottish universities will make the commitment to offering significant language learning provision if appropriate funding cannot be earmarked. Several universities have discontinued or reduced languages provision, and many languages departments are under review. There is particular concern that languages departments in the post-1992 universities are at particular risk.
The decline in take-up of Socrates-Erasmus and other exchange programme opportunities by young undergraduates also seems likely to continue. This is at a time when study after study draws attention to the increase in incoming exchange students to Scotland and the UK. An emerging elite of foreign graduates educated at UK universities is noted in a recent study, while young Scots are being linguistically and culturally marginalised and disenfranchised.
There appears to be no HE provision strategy in place to enable a proper interface between school and university which would allow progression in language learning, and the meaningful gains in primary-led language learning may be in vain.
The reality is the number of foreign language providers is contracting within Scottish higher education at a time when the need for language learning has never been greater.
Dr Murray Hill, 85 Burns Road, Aberdeen.
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