Languages

Question Time — scottish executive – in the Scottish Parliament at 2:32 pm on 20 December 2001.

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Photo of Irene McGugan Irene McGugan Scottish National Party 2:32, 20 December 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in taking forward the recommendations in the report of the action group on languages, "Citizens of a Multilingual World". (S1O-4337)

Photo of Nicol Stephen Nicol Stephen Liberal Democrat

The Scottish Executive published its response to "Citizens of a Multilingual World" on 26 September. The response highlighted a wide range of proposals to encourage more language education in all Scotland's schools. Additional funding for language education from next financial year was also announced. We intend to indicate early in the new year how that funding will be distributed.

Photo of Irene McGugan Irene McGugan Scottish National Party

Is the minister aware that there is widespread misinterpretation of the principle of entitlement to learn a foreign language as set out in the action group report? That has fuelled speculation that, far from being a right to be welcomed, entitlement is an option that may be rejected. Is the minister concerned to know that there is anecdotal evidence that in some schools measures have been put in place to allow pupils to opt out of studying a foreign language? Will he take urgent steps to end that uncertainty? Otherwise, the principle of entitlement will erode, rather than secure, the place of modern languages.

Photo of Nicol Stephen Nicol Stephen Liberal Democrat

I understand the concern. If the report's proposals were interpreted in that way, I would want to investigate and find out more about that. The report's intention is to stimulate the learning of modern languages and to try to achieve that at a much earlier age. I referred to all schools because modern language learning needs to start happening in our primary schools as well as our secondary schools.

The report's intention and the intention of policy is not to reduce the amount of modern language learning, but the reverse. We want to recognise the growing importance of modern language learning to our links with Europe and with other economies around the world because there is a need for Scotland to do better.

Photo of Irene Oldfather Irene Oldfather Labour

The minister will be aware of the benefits of immersion teaching of modern languages, which were identified by the action group. Does he have any plans to roll out the Aberdeen pilot project to other areas of Scotland?

Photo of Nicol Stephen Nicol Stephen Liberal Democrat

The Aberdeen pilot is a very impressive example of what can be done if we focus on the learning of modern languages at an early age. It happens to be in my constituency, but I am sure that every constituency would like to have the benefits of such learning.

It is expensive to deliver that sort of learning and we have to balance our priorities; education authorities have to do likewise. However, we would not have instituted such a pilot and we would not have got involved in stimulating a project of that kind, if we did not intend to find ways of rolling it out more widely.

Photo of Keith Raffan Keith Raffan Liberal Democrat

How will the minister ensure that as many pupils as possible, in all local authorities, have the chance to learn a variety of languages and not just French? Does he agree that the report's recommendations must be driven forward by the Executive and not left to local authorities, if we are to reverse the fall in language course entrants to all Scottish universities, which has already led to the closure of the languages department at the University of Abertay Dundee?

Photo of Nicol Stephen Nicol Stephen Liberal Democrat

I agree that the Scottish Executive and the education department have a role in relation to this matter, but it would be wrong to think that we alone can achieve the sort of success that Keith Raffan would like. We have to find ways of working in partnership with education authorities and schools to achieve the growth in language learning that everyone in this chamber would like to see.

We are injecting additional funding from the centre. That will be ring-fenced. Funds have risen from £3.7 million to £4.2 million this year. They will grow again to £4.7 million for each of the next two years. That is genuine additional funding. The key will be to use that money effectively to encourage greater development of modern language learning in all of our schools, in whichever part of Scotland.