Trois Arbres

John F. Burns’s Pulitzer Prize-winning articles on Afghanistan go some way to restoring my faith in journalism. I could read this article over and over again and still be just as moved as the first time.

Please read this or any of the others - I think that everyone should.

Outside of the main theme of this article, I found one more under-spoken point of interest and I picked out the following quote.

‘Increasing numbers of employers – particularly in banking, consulting and engineering – frustrated by the relatively small number of British students able to speak foreign languages are turning to European universities to recruit graduates who can offer languages in addition to other academic achievements.’

Languages in Britain are not a strong point - something that has been known and highlighted for many years. So often the image of the lazy and arrogant Englishman abroad expecting everyone to speak English, not knowing even how to say please or thank you. The root of the problem lies within our schools and quite possibly the deeper repercussions of the previous government’s grade inflation “policy”.

In my leaving year, my comprehensive school was ranked in the top percentile of schools nationwide for contextual value added and was considered as one of the best performing schools in our local area, even rated as “outstanding” by OFSTED. However, there is much more to this than meets the eye. Out of a cohort of nearly eighty Sixth Form students, only two continued a language (French) to full A-level standard and even then only achieved C-grades. Similar numbers were found in the classrooms of many other ‘classical’ subjects with the masses subscribing to Business Studies, Media Studies, Travel and Tourism and Sports Studies. Many of these courses were not actual A-levels but BTEC National Diplomas. I do not wish to discredit these courses as vocational options should take their place in Further Education as much as A-levels but they should not be deemed of similar (in some cases greater) worth within academic league tables and university applications. These subjects have inflated schools’ positions and devalued the education of many bright students who have been duped by schools into less demanding and ultimately less rewarding courses by the promise of high grades. The loopholes seemed purpose built by the last government and I can only hope that the revival of high standards is carried out as promised by the current Education Minister, Michael Gove. The English Baccalaureate, which includes a language as a requirement at GCSE level, is a step in the right direction, although one which should be more rigorously reviewed.   

Languages at A-level are seen as some of the few qualifications to have retained their standards throughout the supposed “dumbing-down” of school exams. I can speak from my own experience in pointing out that they are not straightforward. Perhaps the standard is maintained because only the bold and the highly motivated take on the subject (usually at highly funded private institutions) but perhaps this is in turn due to the easier and more “modern” options available, effectively singling these students out. Taught languages in Britain are in dire need of a major rebranding to remove their dusty and irrelevant tags in the eyes of our young students. For me, learning a language should be seen as a doorway into a new culture, a new way of thinking and a whole new way of life. It is worth so much more than tedious verb conjugation and counting to one hundred. The emphasis on flawless grammar and intricate details may increase the understanding of the language itself but what of the country and its countless stories, experiences and history? Obviously we should follow the worldwide trend in starting language studies at an earlier age but there should be a more thorough inspection of the content. I think we should move beyond the classical approach and enter into the study of a country in all its glory and all of its faults. This is the only way to spark the imagination of young learners and inspire them to ultimately learn a language. Britain needs more open-minded and free thinking students to begin to propel us out of our educational and economical slump and the way to do this is to open up the world to them at an early age and show that, with a little hard work and a gentle push in the right direction, they can go anywhere and achieve anything.

A really thorough investigation into the legality of the killing of Osama bin Laden. Raises some interesting points although I guess no one will bother to uphold the internationals laws, just incase it upsets the USA. I, amongst many others, would have hoped for more from (let us not forget, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient) Barack Obama, once a Law student himself. 

A really interesting article. All families have someone or something to be proud of, what must it be like to have something to be so deeply ashamed of?

I have an awful lot of respect for the subject, Rainer Hoess, who has gone through so much with what he sees as such a heavy burden on his shoulders. I wonder if you should feel guilt for what has gone before you? After all, it was not of his doing. I much prefer his open approach to that of his family who (in what I see as cowardice) have disowned him for digging up the past and tackling his fears and feelings head on.