Languages made degree requirement

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One of the UK's leading universities is to make a language qualification a requirement for entry in an attempt to stop schools abandoning the subject.

University College London has agreed in principle that a language GCSE will be compulsory for admission from 2012.

It comes as Lord Dearing prepares to publish his review of a government strategy to make languages optional.

Many universities have voiced concern that this has resulted in schools disbanding their language departments.

GCSE results this year showed a drop in entries for modern languages - two years after they became an optional subject after the age of 14.

Incentive

Entries in German were down by 14.2%, while French declined by 13.2%.

Heads of languages at dozens of top universities have written to the government asking for the decision allowing pupils to drop language study to be reversed.

UCL vice-provost Professor Michael Worton said he thought this was unrealistic.

The idea behind UCL's decision is to give schools and local authorities an incentive to continue to fund language departments.

"We describe ourselves as London's global university and we actually feel it's essential that students have an understanding of how another language operates and, crucially, knowledge of another culture," he said.

A language qualification is currently a requirement at UCL for subjects such as language degrees. For others, such as history of art, it is preferable.

UCL plans to make it a requirement for all subjects.

Students are being very creative when it comes to language used in contexts such as text messages Prof Michael Worton

This will be included in its prospectus for 2008 - for students starting at the university in 2012.

There is, as yet, no stipulation as to the grade received at GCSE.

"It is very much about saying we expect students to have basic linguistic capability," said Prof Worton.

The government's decision to make languages optional after the age of 14 was accompanied by an increase in language teaching at primary school age.

Prof Worton said there was a great deal of exciting work being done at primary age but this was being lost at secondary school age.

He added: "Many young people will say that they don't have a gift for languages but they are being very creative when it comes to language used in contexts such as text messages."

Favourably received

Prof Worton said UCL's key hope was that other universities would follow suit.

He said the proposal had already been favourably received by vice-chancellors from the Russell Group universities, which include Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol.

Cilt, the national centre for languages, welcomed the move.

"Any university making a language GCSE or equivalent a minimum requirement for applicants to degree courses sends out a strong message to students about the importance of language skills in all disciplines," a spokesman said.

Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell also gave it his backing, saying it could boost take-up of modern languages at GCSE level.

Lord Dearing is expected to reveal his findings of a review into the government's national language strategy on Thursday.

It is thought unlikely that he will call for a full reversal of the strategy.

'Shared concern'

Education Secretary Alan Johnson has said that he shares the concern over the rapid drop in the numbers taking language GCSEs.

Earlier this month the heads of languages at 50 leading universities wrote an open letter to the Department for Education and Skills urging them to reverse the strategy.

The letter said the move to make languages optional embedded the notion that "languages do not matter, that English is enough".

They want languages to be a core subject up to the age of 16 in a format which suits the student.