Fewer studying foreign languages

FRESH concerns have been raised that not enough young people are learning foreign languages, as figures show a slump in applications to study the subjects at university.

The numbers of applications for degree courses linked to European languages have fallen by almost a quarter in the past five years, while the numbers for other language courses have dropped by almost a fifth, according to an analysis by the Press Association.

At the same time, there has been a decline in the numbers studying languages traditionally offered by schools, such as French and German, to GCSE and A-level. The analysis does indicate that Spanish has grown in popularity in recent times along with other courses such as Arabic and Chinese.

The British Council, which specialises in international cultural relations, warned that if the UK is to remain globally competitive in the wake of Brexit it needs more young people to be learning languages. The Press Association’s analysis of Ucas figures shows that, as of June 30 this year, there had been 15,140 applications from UK applicants to study European language courses at university, down from 19,620 at the same point in 2012 – a drop of 22.8%.

In addition, the number of UK applications to study degree courses related to non-European languages fell by 17.5% over the same five-year period, from 5,720 in 2012 to 4,720 this year. Students typically apply for more than one degree course. The figures come just weeks before teenagers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland receive their A-level and GCSE results.

A Department for Education (DfE) spokeswoman said: “Having the opportunity to study a language is an important part of the core academic education that will help young people gain knowledge and understanding they need to compete in an increasingly global workplace.”