<div dir="ltr"><h1 class="">Scotland angers European allies over "failing" language policy</h1>
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<div class=""><div class=""><a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/andrew-denholm"><img src="http://www.heraldscotland.com/sites/default/files/Andy-Denholm-wee.jpg"></a></div><div id="article-byline" class=""><a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/andrew-denholm" rel="foaf:publications" content="Andrew Denholm">Andrew Denholm</a></div><div class="">Education Correspondent</div></div>
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Monday 2 March 2015
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<p>MINISTERS have come under fire from some of the most powerful countries in Europe over Scotland's school languages policy.</p>
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<p>Representatives from Germany, Switzerland and Austria have written to
Dr Alastair Allan, the minister for learning, warning that current
policies to expand language learning may lead to the "ultimate demise"
of German in Scottish schools.</p><div class="">
<p>The move comes just weeks after Dr Alexander Yakovenko, the Russian
Ambassador to Great Britain and Northern Ireland, urged Scottish
ministers to protect the Russian Higher qualification, which is to be
axed this year despite a sharp increase in numbers sitting it.</p>
<p>The latest attack on the Scottish Government's languages strategy
comes from the German Consulate General Heinrich Schnettger, and is
backed by the Austrian Consulate and the Swiss Consulate.</p>
<p>A joint draft paper highlights the SNP's aspiration to adopt the
European Union's 1+2 policy which would see all Scottish pupils learning
two languages in addition to their native tongue by the end of primary
school.</p>
<p>But it adds: "A review of the situation in 2014 leaves no doubt that
Scottish Government's ambitious targets for increasing language
provision have not been met as far as German is concerned. The uptake of
German in Scottish schools has not increased.</p>
<p>"To make matters worse, the decline of German language learning
continues. In fact, the 1+2 approach might now inadvertently contribute
to German's</p>
<p>ultimate demise by failing to provide sufficient safeguards for language diversity in all 32 councils."</p>
<p>The paper calls in ministers to adopt a ten point plan to save German
language learning including funding for more teachers and foreign
language assistants and support for those schools that want to
reintroduce it.</p>
<p>The paper concludes that German language provision has reached such a
low level in Scotland that it is on the verge of being completely
phased out.</p>
<p>It adds: "Without a decisive commitment from the Scottish Government
and Scottish councils, the situation of German will deteriorate still
further and will lead to its ultimate demise.</p>
<p>"German language skills are essential for Scotland's international
standing and reputation and thus, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and all
stakeholders are ready to support the Scottish Government to reverse
this trend."</p>
<p>The call was backed by Dr Dan Tierney, an education consultant and
former language lecturer at Strathclyde University, who said the decline
in German was a mistake economically.</p>
<p>He said: "According to the Office for National Statistics our top
export market in 2012, after the US, was Germany with goods worth £32
billion and to these can be added exports to German-speaking
Switzerland, Luxembourg and Austria, all important markets for British
exporters.</p>
<p>"Another key area is tourism and for inward tourism German is very
important to us with a Visit Scotland Report in 2013 identifying the US
and German citizens as the two largest groups with both accounting for
13 per cent of trips to Scotland. German tourists spent £173m in
Scotland in 2013."</p>
<p>The warnings comes as figures show the number of pupils taking a
Higher in German has fallen to 1006 in 2014 compared to 1261 in 2009.</p>
<p>The number of secondary school teachers with German as their main
subject has halved in less than a decade, falling from 261 in 2004 to
136 in 2013. The number of German foreign language assistants in
Scottish schools has fallen from 55 in 2005/06 to just six in 2014/15.</p>
<p>A Scottish Government spokeswoman said German learning has an important place in education.</p>
<p>She added: "We are investing £9 million over two years in our
ambitious 1+2 policy which aims to increase language learning and boost
the skills of our future workforce in a global, multi-cultural world.
Overall the number of pupils learning languages at higher level in
Scotland is up eight per cent since 2010.</p>
<p>"In keeping with the flexible arrangements of Curriculum for
Excellence, education authorities decide what languages are offered in
their schools, taking account of local needs. We fully expect the range
of languages to increase as 1+2 is implemented across the country, and
this will provide opportunities for German to become more widely
available as capacity is built within the system."</p>
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