A committee composed of a range of stakeholders from Danish society is to work for the benefit of foreign languages in the country’s education system.
The Central Jutland regional health authority, one of the partners in the committee, said in a press statement on Wednesday that its objective is to “strengthen foreign language education throughout the entire educational system and address the challenges facing language subjects.”
The ‘language committee’ consists of “politicians and stakeholders from the private sector, organisations, and research institutions,” it said.
In the statement, the Central Jutland Region notes that 32 language degree programmes have been shut down over the last year and that fewer upper secondary school (gymnasium) students choose to study languages than in past years.
“There is already a shortage of language teachers at elementary schools and colleges, while businesses are in need of more staff with strong language skills,” it said.
The committee will work together to come up with proposals that could remedy this by boosting foreign languages throughout the education system, it said.
“Foreign languages are a vital resource for society, both culturally and economically. With the new language committee, we are creating a forum that can join forces from politics, business and education to find the solutions that will strengthen the role of language subjects in the entire education system,” the chairperson of the Central Jutland region, Anders Kühnau, said in the statement.
The overarching goal of this will be to “implement concrete political and structural changes to strengthen the field of foreign languages,” the statement said.
This could include more language lessons at schools alongside professional development for language teachers, and closer links with businesses.
Long-serving former member of parliament Bertel Haarder has been given the job of leading the committee.
“Foreign languages are not only the key to understanding the world around us but also to fostering growth and innovation. It is an honor for me to lead this important initiative, and I hope many will support it," Haarder, who was Minister of Education for 15 years as well as serving as an MEP, said in the statement.
The National Language Committee will meet for the first time in 2025 and consist of up 35 members.
Comments