7 European Indicator of Language Competence
| (26769)
11704/05
COM(05) 356
| Commission Communication on 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 20 April 2006
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| Previous Committee Report | HC 34-v (2005-06), para 13 (12 October 2005)
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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 | Not cleared; further information awaited
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Previous scrutiny
7.1 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. In October 2005, we considered this Communication
from the Commission.[21]
It invited the Council to approve the Commission's proposals for
the introduction of such an indicator.
7.2 Article 149 of the EC Treaty provides that the
Community should encourage co-operation between Member States
to develop education and, in particular, says that Community action
should be aimed at "developing the European dimension in
education, particularly through the teaching and dissemination
of the languages of the Member States".
7.3 In essence, the Commission proposed that:
- there should be language tests
for a sample of 15 year olds in two languages other than the mother
tongue;
- there should be tests at regular intervals (say,
every three years);
- the tests should assess competence in reading,
listening to, speaking and writing two foreign languages;
- each Member State should be responsible for organising,
marking and paying for the tests in its area; and
- the Commission should coordinate the process,
with the help of an advisory board comprised of a representative
of each Member State.
7.4 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.
Moreover, a clear definition would be required of the "mother
tongue" of each Member State. It would be mistaken to assume
that, for example, English is the first language of everyone in
the UK.
7.5 While we recognised the desirability of increasing
the number of people who speak more than one language, it seemed
to us 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, it is for each Member State —
not the EU — to 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 reports from the Minister on the Council's consideration
of the proposals and on the development of the Government's views
on them.
The Minister's letter of 20 April 2006
7.6 The Minister's letter tells us about the exchange
of views about the Communication at the Council's meeting on 23
February. He has also sent us the draft of Council Conclusions
which take account of discussions between Member States about
the Commission's proposals.
7.7 The Minister says that, while the Government
agrees that it is important to improve the UK's competence in
other European languages, it has ensured, during the negotiations,
that the draft Conclusions make clear that it is for Member States
to decide the content and priorities of their education systems.
7.8 He also says that the organisational and financial
effects of the proposals for the indicator of language competence
need to be defined before Member States can decide whether to
implement them. He adds that it is:
"particularly important to ensure that the
exercise should not impose undue burdens on schools and pupils.
I am pleased to report that this position has been supported by
other Member States."
7.9 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.
7.10 The Minister says that the Education Council
will take decisions on the proposals next year, perhaps in May.
He also says that the Government has made clear its view that
the tests of linguistic competence should not overlap with other
international educational surveys (for example, testing of literacy
is due in 2009 and of maths and science in 2011). The Government
has suggested, therefore, that Member States should have discretion
when to administer the tests in the period 2009-11.
7.11 The Commission's initial proposal was for the
tests to be taken by children of 15. It is now proposed, however,
that the tests should be done at the end of International Standard
Classification level 2 (which is year 9 (ages 13/14) in England).
It is also proposed that Member States should have discretion
to gather data on competence in the second language at level 3
(ages 17/18 in England) if a second foreign language is not taught
at level 2. The Government could support the revised proposals
about the stage at which the tests might be done.
7.12 The Minister will provide us with further progress
reports before and after the Education Council on 19 May, at which
the draft Conclusions will be considered.
Conclusion
7.13 We are grateful for the Minister's helpful
letter and for sending us the draft Council Conclusions. We are
glad that it is now proposed that decisions on whether to implement
a European indicator of language competence should not be taken
until 2007, after the proposed board has produced detailed advice
on how the tests might be constructed, on the timetable and on
the likely costs.
7.14 We shall keep the Commission's Communication
under scrutiny pending the further information the Minister will
be sending us before the Education Council's meeting in May.
21 See headnote. Back
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