Just 7.6% of students

in their final year of school are studying a foreign language according to a report in today's paper. It also says the most "popular" languages are Japanese, Chinese and Spanish while Indonesian has a very low 3.7% retention rate. This is not like Europe where 96% of students are still studying one or more foreign languages in their final year at school.

I can go a little further and say that many of those who are studying a foreign language here are students who speak that language at home. The vast majority of them will be Chinese.  That is why they are studying Chinese.

Language learning is not seen as important here. We are too far away from Europe for European languages to be seen as important. Migrants from Europe have integrated by learning English. Their children spoke the language of their parents at home and sometimes went to "Greek school" or Italian classes but the language was almost lost by the next generation. They did not see it as necessary.

There are desultory attempts to teach a second language to primary school students in some schools but what is taught depends on a teacher being available, how enthusiastic they are and whether they have the support of the school and the parents. My observations suggest that there is very little language actually taught. I find children cannot even respond to a basic greeting.

Asian languages are very different from Indo-European languages and I have always been of the opinion that teaching them in school is a waste of time unless you are prepared to dedicate many more hours than is usual. The amount a child can learn in the time devoted is simply not worth the time or the effort unless the child is exposed to the language at home. 

I was talking to a friend recently. She was born in Holland and admits "I only speak three languages". Only three? I can speak only one. Oh I can try and make myself understood in more than one, understood at a very simple level. I can read more than one but it is because my job demands it. I am entirely self taught and native speakers of any language other than English would be tearing their hair out at my attempts to say anything. Still I can do that much and I am aware it is far more than most people around me. It has not been easy but it has been essential. 

I think this is where the problem lies. Another language is not essential in this country. If someone does not speak English then the attitude is "well learn English". I myself believe permanent residents of this country should learn English but I look on it as essential for their independence, well being and safety. I am happy for them to retain their first language as well but not for them to expect special consideration if they make no effort to learn English. It is what I would see as being expected of me if I went to live in another country where the first language was not English. 

Right across Asia English is the common language. Business is conducted in English. There is no expectation that you will speak Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese or anything else. If you have taken the trouble to learn some polite phrases that will be well received but speakers of those languages know they are seen as "difficult".  The only problem with all this is that it does mean we are lazy about language learning - and arrogant too.

There is also the intense concentration on science and maths and technology. Students are not even studying English. It shows.

Learning a second language also requires learning another way of thinking. For that reason alone I believe all children should learn at least one other language. If you come from a family where a second language is spoken at home then make it that language if you can but make learning a second language as important as learning the language of mathematics or coding.  We will have better scientists if they can speak another language as well.