Education Matters: Foreign Languages Are Alien to Most Children; Foreign Language Provision in British Schools Is Again under the Spotlight. Education Correspondent Shahid Naqvi Looks at the Issues

Byline: Shahid Naqvi

It is a fact that Britain is the most foreign language-resistant country in Europe.

While most of our European cousins are likely to be able to speak to us in English, the reverse is the exception rather than the norm.

Our laziness with foreign languages is partly borne from a belief that the rest of the world speaks English.

Britain's confusion when it comes to foreign languages is reflected in Government policy. Until 1988 studying languages was not compulsory in schools. As a result, it was largely the province of more able students or those from privileged backgrounds in the independent sector.

The introduction …

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Publication information: Article title: Education Matters: Foreign Languages Are Alien to Most Children; Foreign Language Provision in British Schools Is Again under the Spotlight. Education Correspondent Shahid Naqvi Looks at the Issues. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: The Birmingham Post (England). Publication date: July 4, 2005. Page number: 4. © 2009 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd. COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group.

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