engleski

Can smaller countries teach us anything about foreign languages in schools? (On European language education policies in comparison to Australian)

Australia, being a multicultural and a multilingual county, in comparison to many European countries does not seem to do as much as it could when it comes to learning foreign languages from an early age. While it has been noted that the percentage of bilingual speakers in Australia is slowly rising (according to census in 2001, 2006 and 2011) ; only 10 % of Australian Year 12 students include language other than English among their course choices. On the contrary, the average European pupil has at least one mandatory foreign language among courses during his/her mandatory education, often starting from a very early age. It has been recommended by some recent language education policies in Europe that at least two foreign languages should be introduced. In this paper the author, who is a European linguist and a language teacher familiar with language policies in several European countries, debates on reasons for such diversity in language policies taking into account the fact that the benefits of early language learning are very well known to all. The author questions the reasons why foreign languages as part of the school curricula seem to be so much more important in Europe than in Australia and argues reasons why Australia should do better.

foreign languages; language education policy; multilingualism; multiculturalism; early language learning

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