Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. (at least 250 words)
People communicate with each other through language. Over 7000 languages are spoken across the world. Language is one of the most important parts of any culture. The language that people of a community speak for communication is the native language whereas the language acquired via classroom learning, and not a language spoken in the learners’ community is a foreign language.
It is a way better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than a secondary school because it will not only make them adaptive to various cultures but also improves their cognitive skills.
There are myriads of reasons why students should learn a foreign language at a primary level of education. Firstly, students learn faster in primary school rather than in secondary school. Secondly, if students learn a foreign language early on it will boost their critical thinking and cognitive development. Thirdly, acquiring a foreign language at an early age will improve multi-tasking among the young generation.
Moreover, learning various languages at the primary level will improve their mental flexibility as well. Students will also become cognizant of other cultures and will get to know how people of other societies live their cultures, their religion, issues, and problem thereby improving their forethought. Furthermore, it may open up various opportunities for education and various work positions in foreign countries as well.
Apart from many advantages, it does have implications as well. For instance, there is a lack of well-equipped educational institutions to teach students foreign languages properly. There is a dearth of properly trained teachers. Mostly, native speakers can be seen teaching a foreign language. The accent and pronunciation of native teachers stand compromised. Also, students might get confused due to the overburden of curriculum in different languages.
Conclusively, the advantages of learning a foreign language outweigh the disadvantages so it is better for children to learn foreign languages and prepare the next generation for becoming global citizens. Above all, learning multiple languages would make prepare citizens for international-level job opportunities.
