Western Daily Press – Staff Writer
“Entries for GCSEs in modern foreign languages plummeted again this year, sparking fresh concerns that the UK is at risk of falling behind on the world stage. French, German and Spanish all saw drops in numbers…Vicky Gough, schools adviser at the British Council, said: “The main silver lining today is that we have seen some increases in the uptake of Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese and Arabic – three languages vital for the UK’s future – but sadly this isn’t enough to compensate for the downturn in language learning across the board. The reality is that as this general decline continues, the UK risks falling behind on the world stage. Employers are crying out for more language skills, we all need to realise that learning a language isn’t just a rewarding way to connect with another culture but will boost job prospects too.””(more)