Sector brief: Employment & Education
Foreign languages dip except Chinese
February 5, 2010: In the United States thousands of public schools stopped teaching foreign languages in the last decade, according to a government-financed survey. The exception is Chinese.
The educational trend away from learning the languages of other countries is, perhaps. less apparent in countries other than the United States where it is dropping at a frightening rate but the trend is is there. Compulsory learning of French is very much année dernière. The exception is Chinese.
AARP Bulletin Today reported that experts said several factors were fueling the surge in Chinese. Parents, students and educators recognize China’s emergence as an important country and believe that fluency in its language can provide opportunities.
The Chinese government is sending teachers from China to schools all over the world – and paying part of their salaries.
Rough calculations based on the government’s survey suggest that perhaps 1,600 American public and private schools are teaching Chinese, up from 300 or so a decade ago. And the numbers are growing exponentially.
AARP Bulletin Today reported that experts said several factors were fueling the surge in Chinese. Parents, students and educators recognize China’s emergence as an important country and believe that fluency in its language can provide opportunities.
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