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Towards the end of 2023, language teaching in Scotland became a big news story.
The German Ambassador had raised concerns with then FM Humza Yousaf about the decline in the teaching of his nation’s language, warning of the “dramatically low” uptake numbers. As I explained at the time, his concerns were well founded, but part of a wider issue.
Soon after, representatives from France, Germany, Spain and Italy were writing to the University of Aberdeen urging them not to cut modern language courses as they had planned.
Those proposals – which involved ending full language degrees – prompted a massive response: protests were planned, European officials spoke out, and The Herald ran a number of articles arguing against the idea, like this one by David Leask, and this one by Len Pennie. In the end, the university decided it would only offer joint-degrees in languages, but it’s worth keeping in mind that low uptake (amidst broader financial pressures) had been what sparked all of this.
Today, I can exclusively reveal that another institution is planning cuts to language teaching – this time, Glasgow Caledonian........