Decline in European language education with rise of children being taught Mandarin

Kids taught Mandarin, but cut back on French.

Pupils as young as five are being taught Mandarin in a bid to boost trade with China.

Two-thirds of schools are teaching the language in a bid to put the next generation at the forefront of business. The step has been endorsed by David Cameron who is desperate to ramp up trade with the superpower.

However, critics claim children would be better off learning “more relevant” European languages.

Education consultant Dr Dan Tierney said: “The teaching of Mandarin is only worthwhile depending on what is trying to be achieved.

“Are councils just trying to raise awareness of China or are they actually trying to develop the linguistic competence of these pupils in Mandarin?

“It’s not as relevant to our school pupils’ needs as European languages are, for example.”

In 2012, the Scottish Government launched Confucius Classrooms, a drive to teach Mandarin, which is spoken by more than a billion people.

Backed by the Chinese government, about half of local authorities now subscribe to it with Edinburgh, Fife, North Lanarkshire and Aberdeenshire councils leading the way.

Mr Cameron has previously said schools across the UK should stop teaching children so much French and German and focus on Mandarin.

On a 2013 trade trip to China to help sign deals worth £6bn, he warned that Britain risked losing out by continuing to prioritise European languages.

“I want Britain linked up to the world’s fast growing economies. And that includes our young people learning the languages to seal tomorrow’s business deals,” he said.

Sarah Chanter is the managing director of Edinburgh tea boutique Eteaket, which sells exclusive tea to the Chinese market.

As business shifts towards the superpower, she believes Mandarin holds the key to future domestic business success.

“The language of business has no doubt changed in the last decade from English to Mandarin,” she said. “Having the knowledge of both would be a great benefit to anyone looking to work on a global scale in the future.”

That view is shared by the Scottish Government. A spokesperson said: “Mandarin is one of the world’s most widely spoken languages and it’s important that people in Scotland get the opportunity to learn about China, its language and its growing role in the modern world.

“Our ambitious languages policy will enable every child in Scotland to learn two languages in addition to their mother tongue by 2020 and underlines our commitment to supporting a future workforce in a global, multicultural world.”