Commenting on reports that the Welsh Labour Government is cutting the funding of Cilt Cymru, the National Centre for Languages by two thirds, Angela Burns, Shadow Minister for Education, said:
“At a time when the uptake of modern foreign languages in Wales is dramatically declining compared to growth in England, now is not the time to withdraw funding from Cilt Cymru, the National Centre for Languages.
“Figures uncovered by the Welsh Conservatives show that the study of some foreign languages at A Level has fallen by two thirds since 2005, while GCSE language study has halved.
“The National Centre for Languages has been vocal in calling for modern foreign languages to be studied in primary schools to improve communication skills and confidence in using language in secondary schools.
“Withdrawing two thirds of the National Centre for Languages’ funding will dramatically curtail its work and make it impossible for the body to effectively promote modern foreign languages, which are desperately needed skills in the Welsh economy.
“If students from Wales are not equipped with the highly sought after skills such as languages, maths, science and ICT, they will lose out in the global race.
“Labour’s insular education agenda risks killing off modern foreign language study and isolating Wales in the global jobs market.”
