10 European Indicator of Language Competence
| (26769)
11704/05
COM(05) 356
| Commission Communication: The European Indicator of Language Competence
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| Legal base | — |
| Department | Education and Skills
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| Basis of consideration | Minister's letter of 9 May 2006
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| Previous Committee Report | HC 34-xxvi (2005-06), para 7 (26 April 2006)
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| To be discussed in Council | 19 May 2006
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared but relevant to the debate on the draft Recommendation on key competences for lifelong learning
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Previous scrutiny
10.1 In 2002 the Barcelona European Council called for at least
two foreign languages to be taught to children from an early age.
It also called for the establishment of a European indicator of
linguistic competence. This Communication invites the Council
to approve the Commission's proposal that there should be language
tests for a sample of 15 year-olds in two languages other than
their mother tongue; that the test should be held at regular intervals
(say, every three years); and that the tests should assess competence
in reading, listening to, speaking and writing two foreign languages.
10.2 The Minister of State for Lifelong Learning,
Further and Higher Education at the Department for Education and
Skills (Bill Rammell) told us that there were a lot of issues
that would need to be considered before the Government reached
a decision whether to take part in the initiative. He said, for
example, that the UK has a very strict policy on limiting the
burdens on schools. Their participation in surveys, such as the
proposed language tests, is voluntary. It was not yet possible
to judge whether the proposed tests would be unreasonably burdensome.
10.3 When we considered the Communication last October,
we recognised the desirability of increasing the number of people
who speak more than one language.[19]
It seemed to us, however, that by far the highest priority is
to enable all school leavers to be competent in the language or
languages of the country where they live. In our view, each Member
State — not the EU — should decide its own priorities
for the teaching of foreign languages. We sympathised with the
Government's concern about the additional burden the Commission's
proposals might impose on the sample of students who would be
tested and on the schools they attend. We decided to keep the
Communication under scrutiny pending progress reports from the
Minister.
10.4 In April, the Minister sent us the draft of
Council Conclusions which take account of discussions between
Member States about the Commission's proposals. He told us that
the draft Conclusions made clear that it is for Member States
to decide the content and priorities of their education systems.
He added that other Member States shared the Government's view
that it is particularly important that testing for language competence
does not impose undue burdens on schools and pupils.
10.5 The draft Conclusions propose that an advisory
board, comprising a representative of each Member State and of
the Council of Europe, should be set up as soon as possible to
advise on Member States' preferred arrangements for constructing
and administering the tests of linguistic competence, on sample
sizes and on the likely costs of participation. The board would
make a progress report to the Commission by the end of 2006. The
Education Council will take decisions on the proposals next year,
perhaps in May.
10.6 The Minister said that he would provide us with
further progress reports before and after the Education Council
on 19 May, at which the draft Conclusions will be considered.
10.7 When we resumed scrutiny of the proposal on
26 April. we were pleased to note that it is now expected that
decisions on whether to implement a European indicator of language
competence will not be taken until 2007, after the proposed advisory
board has produced detailed advice. We decided to keep the Commission's
Communication under scrutiny pending receipt of the further information
the Minister had offered to send us.
The Minister's letter of 9 May 2006
10.8 The Minister's letter tells us that the Government
remains content with the draft Conclusions and that no difficulties
arose when Coreper considered them on 3 May.
Conclusion
10.9 In the light of the draft Council Conclusions
and what the Minister has told us, we are now content to clear
the Communication from scrutiny. We consider, however, that the
document is relevant to the debate on the draft Recommendation
on key competences for lifelong learning.[20]
19 See HC 34-v (2005-06), para 13 (12 October 2005). Back
20
See paragraph 1 above. Back
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