On 23 May, the All-Party Parliamentary
Group (APPG) on Modern Languages was
thrilled to see the publication of 'The Value
of Languages', a report published by the
Cambridge Public Policy Strategic Research
Initiative. This short (25 page) document
exemplifies what the APPG seeks to support:
clear and concise policy recommendations
based on solid research, with the active
collaboration of a wide range of stakeholders.
Readers of this column will be aware of the
surprisingly broad policy areas in which
languages have (or should have) a place: not
only challenges in the education system (from
primary to universities, via secondary schools
and examination reform) and in exports,
diplomacy, defence and security; but also in
public health, justice and communities in a
country with an increasingly multilingual
population. Languages also have a particular
(and increasing) social and political dimension
in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
After publishing its Manifesto for
Languages in 2014 calling for a national
recovery programme for languages, the
APPG has used its regular meetings to
gather evidence in these areas, and has
supported initiatives to develop language
policy, such as the colloquium looking at
languages in schools hosted by Pembroke
College, Oxford in 2015.
Sometimes, the simplest issues can
make a big difference. For instance,
GCHQ (the government intelligence and
security organisation; pictured) is only able to
recruit UK citizens (i.e. it cannot recruit its
linguists from abroad), meaning the recent
threat to UK qualifications in languages such
as Arabic could have been detrimental to
national security.
In October 2015, the University of
Cambridge held a workshop, chaired by
Baroness Coussins of the APPG, to map
where responsibility for languages sits
within government. Representatives included
the Ministry of Defence (MOD), Foreign
and Commonwealth Office (FCO), UK
Trade and Investment (UKTI), Bank for
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NEWS & EDITORIAL
International Settlements (BIS), Ofsted
(the schools regulator) and the devolved
administrations. Together they identified key
recommendations, and current concerns and
benefits of a UK strategy for languages.
The resulting report is a great read. It sets
out a series of goals centred on the UK's
needs in the economy, diplomacy, security,
defence, education, cultural capital and
social cohesion. Looking at where we are
now and steps to improve, it maps out what
a strategy might look like, arguing for a
cross-departmental government approach,
organisational culture change, changes in
education and training, and research on
multilingualism. Perhaps the most important
recommendation is to make the case for a
designated Minister for Language Policy.
Please do read it: bit.ly/2KMCDKy.
Philip Harding-Esch works on
behalf of the British Council to
support the APPG on Modern Languages.
TL
As the all-party group considers a new report on The Value of Languages,
Philip Harding-Esch looks at why its work covers such diverse areas
Inside parliament
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