‘News’ Archives
Irish schools no longer need to teach English to junior infants
Following the withdrawal yesterday of Circular 44, a controversial directive by the Department of Education, Irish language schools will no longer be required to teach English to junior infants. Circular 44, which was introduced by Mary Hanafin, the Minister for Education and Science, in July 2007, necessitated that all Irish language primary [...]
England: Schools are to abandon foreign language targets
Increasing numbers of schools are abandoning the government set target of getting 50 per cent of their pupils to learn a foreign language by the age of 14, it was revealed today by the Independent. With even some of the Government’s own specialist language colleges having failed to reach the benchmark, schools are producing a generation of [...]
UK: English language schools may lose out with new visa rules
An estimated 600,000 people come to the UK to learn English, reports the Guardian, adding more than £1.5bn to the economy in the process. However, proposals to tighten visa rules, originally aimed at closing bogus colleges, has put the thriving English language school sector at risk, with many schools fearing the new rules will put them out [...]
The EU language industry is worth 8.4bn euros
Europe's €8.4bn language industry is set to grow by 10% each year over the next decade after having recorded one of the highest growth rates of any EU industrial sector despite the economic crisis, according to a European Commission-backed study published last week (27th November). Karl-Johan Lönnroth, director-general of the Commission's [...]
