Forum Topic

Mandarin to be taught in all primary schools.

Good morning. I wanted to keep you all on your toes so started a new thread.The government wants all children to be taught Mandarin as opposed to French to do with doing business with the Far East when they get older.Do you want your children or grandchildren speaking Mandarin?I don't and have no interest in the language what so ever. I don't have any links to China, nor do I intend visiting.So if Mr Cameron wants to learn the language, go ahead but don't force it on others.

Rhys Smith ● 4333d20 Comments

"Good morning. I wanted to keep you all on your toes so started a new thread."Zao an Rhys(That's good morning in Mandarin).  You've certainly got us on our toes Rhys - this is a good thread, thanks.

Gerry Tan ● 4332d

There is that but once that is mastered Bob's your auntie's husband. French has all those accent graves(sp?)and things and is way more fiddly imo.

Keith Iddon ● 4332d

Just the massive inconvenience of a whole other alphabet!

Susan Kelly ● 4332d

I found the year I did of Russian that the language was easier to pick up than French. Not sure they have the same tenses structures that there is in French and no masculine/feminine if I remember correctly.

Keith Iddon ● 4332d

It's 'Sergei goes home'. Can't do past tenses.

Susan Kelly ● 4332d

Thus my useless Russian.No wonder "Sergei went home".

Nigel Brooks ● 4332d

There's no point in learning a language unless you take it to quite a high level. Unless you achieve a degree of fluency, then you quickly forget almost everything you learned. Thus my useless Russian and Fred's useless French.

Susan Kelly ● 4333d

I was taught French at school, I don't have any links to France and never visited a French speaking country until more than 20 years after leaving school. The very rusty schoolboy French was of little use, but I would as a schoolboy have got fed up if I had had more English lessons instead of the French.

Fred Hunt ● 4333d

Well said Phillip!

Tom Clifford ● 4333d

Blimey Rhys got out of bed the wrong side this morning!! :O)I think basic English is a must too and I would imagine Mandarin is an additional skill, not a replacement! Just because you have no intention of going to the far east doesn`t mean its not a good idea..

Tom Clifford ● 4333d

Just take a look at where the things that you buy are manufactured.

Philippa Bond ● 4333d

Susan, that sounds like the bare minimum for a night oof unbridled passion with Sergei :-)

Nigel Brooks ● 4333d

I can say 'The cat is in the tree','Ivan plays the guitar' and 'Please' and 'Goodbye'. Oh, and I can count to five.

Keith Iddon ● 4333d

China is likely to be the world's largest economy very soon. It makes excellent sense to start our children on the language while they are young enough to pick it up easily (secondary school being too late).I have an O level in Russian. All I can say is 'I don't know', 'I don't understand', 'I love you' and 'Sergei goes home'.

Susan Kelly ● 4333d

I did a year of Russian at school Rhys and there were a range of languages including Esperanto available to take to 'o' level standard and I left school in 1975. I don't think Swahili was available but you seem to thing the only languages available to anyone are German and French. I agree about literacy and it is shameful that the standard is now lower than when I left school, although I doubt that those two facts are related..;-)

Keith Iddon ● 4333d

What schools should be focusing on is getting children to read and write English first of all.The number of children leaving school unable to read or write English is increasing.If children want to learn Mandarin, then it should be an option if they choose to do it, but it is not for all children who may have difficulty.In a few years time, the govt will want us all to learn Swahili or Russian.

Rhys Smith ● 4333d

Great idea.one are the days of teaching (poorly) French and German as most of Europe uses English as the language of business anyway If we are to do this however we need to start young and have qualified (not just interested party) teachers.I concur with Keith though that the overarching need is to equip our children with the core curriculum (and social skills in the many cases, of parental guidance) first.

Nigel Brooks ● 4333d

Surely it is the role of schools to prepare children for the modern and coming world,something I sometimes think the Victorians did better than we do now. As long as it doesn't interfere with the three r's and history etc. surely this is a good idea.

Keith Iddon ● 4333d

Great Idea, well given I work for a Chinese company would have been very beneficial!But seriously its the way we are moving, the Chinese are the future growth market for the West, and could do know harm for our kids to learn the language,

Declan Devine ● 4333d

And what if it were to give your children or grandchildren the best chance of making a success of their careers? Would you still be so narrow minded?

Philip Slater ● 4333d