Colleagues
In the context of Duncan's summary of the recent BA report, you will perhaps be aware that HEFCE has commissioned a review on the health of modern foreign languages provision in English higher education.
This review is operating to an extremely tight deadline, with a consultation meeting on July 1st, interim report by the end of July and final report due in September.
See
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/hefce/2009/languages.htm
At the same time, you will be aware of the negative impact on QR ('quality-rated') funding for the modern languages community arising from RAE 2008.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that this has already begun to feed through to some institutions, with a number of departments being subjected to reviews of their activity or threatened with closure. Queen's University, Belfast is, to the best of my knowledge, the first to announce its plans to discontinue German.
From the point of the German Studies community, these external developments and reports coincide with recent attempts to join up the various responses of WIGS, AGS (formerly CUTG), the Heads of German annual meeting (HoGMEET) and UCML. Indeed, conversations between myself and representatives of those bodies have prompted this email.
In the first instance it would be extremely helpful, therefore, if you would please alert me (in advance of the 1st July consultation meeting) to any immediate signs of threat to German in your institutions.
Please use 'HEFCE Review' in the reference line of your email.
With best wishes,
Frank
Professor Frank Finlay
President, Association for German Studies (formerly CUTG)
-----Original Message-----
From: JISCmail German Studies List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Duncan Large
Sent: 04 June 2009 14:26
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: British Academy raises new concerns over decline in language learning
------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: "British Academy" <[log in to unmask]>
BRITISH ACADEMY RAISES NEW CONCERNS OVER DECLINE IN LANGUAGE LEARNING
A report issued yesterday (3 June 2009) by the British Academy raises
concerns that the future of the UK´s world class research base might be
threatened by the decline in modern language learning and calls for a
series of measures by Universities and Government bodies to address
this danger. The report "Language Matters" follows a year-long study
into the effect the fall in modern language learning is having in
research fields, especially in humanities and social sciences
disciplines, for which the Academy speaks. It is informed by specially
commissioned research into the impact this may already be having in UK
universities.
The Academy concludes that the declining language skills are damaging
the education system in a number of ways:
- it is having a harmful impact on the ability of UK-born and UK-
educated researchers to compete with their counterparts from overseas
- it works against efforts to ensure that the UK is a world-class hub
of research, which in turn is damaging to the UK´s economy
- it affects the UK´s ability to address many of the most urgent global
challenges
- it is damaging the health of humanities and social science research.
The report states: "In a world of research that is global, these
serious shortcomings and deficits undermine the Government´s objective
of positioning the UK as a hub of international research." Research
commissioned from RAND Europe showed that universities are addressing
this skills shortage by buying in the skills they need from abroad,
rather than by helping UK researchers and academics to `upskill´.
The Minister for Higher Education, the Rt Hon David Lammy MP, was among
the speakers at the launch event for the report on 3 June. The British
Academy welcomes the Government´s recent initiative to encourage
language learning in primary schools, but says "there is an urgent need
for a joined-up approach on the part of Government Departments" and
calls on the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and
the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) "to
develop a more coherent and coordinated approach to the problem."
The report also calls on Universities to consider bringing in a
language requirement for university entry, following the lead taken
recently taken by University College, London, or to ensure that
students at least leave with a language qualification.
The report is available from:
http://www.britac.ac.uk/reports/language-matters
The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH
Tel: 020 7969 5200, Fax: 020 7969 5300, Web: www.britac.ac.uk
