[EDLING:195] Australia: Lack of language skills

[Francis M. Hult]

Courier Mail

Lack of language skills

AUSTRALIA'S top research universities, the Group of Eight, are doing the nation 
a favour in moving to kick-start foreign language teaching from infancy to 
postgraduate standard.

The imperatives for the case are compelling. In the 1960s, 40 per cent of Year 
12 students studied a second language, compared with 15 per cent today. In 
Queensland, the fall-off is even more serious, with just 5.8 per cent of Year 
12 doing so. 

At university level, the number of languages available has fallen from 66 to 29 
in the past 10 years, with just 3 per cent of students studying an Asian 
language.

In contrast, 300 million Chinese students are currently studying English, while 
in Finland, where school students consistently outperform Australia on 
international literacy and numeracy tests, all children take three languages 
throughout schooling, 44 per cent take a fourth language and 31 per cent a 
fifth language.

Full story
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21859394-27197,00.html