A-Level figures see students bidding languages adieu

Emily Bird

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It’s that time of year again. The latest cohort of nervous adolescents received their A-Level results last week. But the number of students studying foreign languages seems in steep decline.

A new round of education statistics points to a bleak future for language enthusiasts. The gradual shift to favour STEM subjects has many of us asking ourselves how long is left until languages become a luxury for the privately educated elite and a mere vanquishing legacy of the old United Kingdom and its politics.

Sunak weighs in

Following the release of A-Level results across the nation, Rishi Sunak took to LinkedIn to consolidate students who didn’t get the grades they needed. He said “If you’ve not got the results you wanted this morning, two words – Don’t worry. Results day is important, but not necessarily a deal-breaker. Whatever results you got today, there are lots of options available to you”.

Perhaps students need not “worry”, but Sunak’s indifferent approach to A-Level results is emblematic of his seeming carelessness when it comes to erasing career paths in languages and the arts. The PM’s repeated push for AI in the UK is pushing out the arts with no real contingency in place for the jobs that will be lost as a result of his neglect.

Are languages falling out of favour?

German has been a dying language in UK schools ever since I can remember. I vividly remember attending a secondary school open day where I wanted to see the German department. I was greeted by a confused-looking year 10 student who informed me that German was about to be taken off the school’s curriculum.

“many fear that languages may become a private-school niche”

Let’s skip forward to 2016. My A-Level class consisted of four students, while subjects such as business were struggling to find chairs for all the students. Language departments across the nation are struggling to drum up interest and many fear that languages may become a private-school niche, similar to Latin.

The benefits of foreign languages

Students might be turning less and less to languages, and the government paying less and less attention to its funding, but learning a new language is a vital and enriching skill.

“I see speaking another language as a super-power”

Languages can allow you to become a journalist, politician, writer, academic, historian or teacher, to name but a few. Languages provide keys to many different doors of opportunity that, with the subject’s decreasing popularity, are becoming increasingly well-hidden from students.

I see speaking another language as a superpower. You can surprise people with your ability to understand others, and it adds a niche skill to any CV. Being able to communicate with different cultures and groups also adds a sense of perspective to your worldview, and breaks down verbal and physical barriers. Not only that, but the study of languages has a hefty health benefit, even reducing the chance of dementia.

Can languages remain relevant?

We need to teach students that languages are not just about ordering croissants, tapas and schnitzel abroad. They can teach us something about our own culture that many people in a post-Brexit world might just need. What does it mean to be British? Where do we come from and how has that shaped our culture today? What makes up a European identity? What might a global community look like? Language learning can provide those much-needed answers.

As a language graduate and teacher, I have developed a newfound perspective on education, and frankly, the curriculum needs to change. Of course, it’s important to learn about the Berlin Wall and Vichy France, but there is space for so much more.

“The study of languages brought me new and important insight into the functioning of our world.”

When I taught English in Germany, I learnt a lot from their curriculum. Students learnt about a plethora of English-speaking countries around the world and how they are interconnected. Similarly, my first encounter with Germany and Namibia’s history was at university. Where was this when I was an A-level student? The study of languages brought me new and important insight into the functioning of our world.

The future of foreign languages

It’s easy to tear the current curriculum apart and be critical of the government for funnelling money into the likes of AI at the expense of the arts, but how do we drum up interest in languages?

Ultimately, we need to make languages more accessible, appealing and relevant. We need to shout far and wide about the benefits of learning another language, and the vast range of doors it can open. We need to break down the stereotype that learning a language is somehow less important than the study of maths or science.

But, as long as Sunak’s anti-immigration and pro-tech narratives are still front and centre, we may not see this change anytime soon.

READ MORE:

• IS THE STUDY OF LANGUAGES MAKING A COMEBACK?

• ‘YOUR ENGLISH IS REALLY GOOD!’: ACCENT PREJUDICE IN THE UK

• IS AI A THREAT TO JOURNALISM?

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Featured image courtesy of Sigmund via Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.