OBLIGING all pupils to study at least one language – as well as English – to GCSE level was debated by politicians in the States Assembly yesterday.
Deputy Montfort Tadier was seeking to reverse a 20-year-old policy introduced in line with the UK which dropped the requirement for a second language to be studied up to GCSE level.
“Pupils in Jersey specialise far too early – their European counterparts get a much broader education,” he said.
Deputy Tadier, president of the Jersey branch of the Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie, said a statistic produced by Education Minister Rob Ward stating that 51% of pupils had a language GCSE was misleading. When selective or fee-paying establishments such as Jersey College for Girls, Victoria College and Hautlieu were removed, the figure was only 36%, he said.
Deputy Ward, a Reform Jersey colleague of Deputy Tadier, put forward an amendment in which he sought Members’ support for a review and consultation to be carried out by the Jersey Curriculum Council before a decision is taken.
Deputy Ward said he had spoken to language teachers and urged Members to do the same. The curriculum council was the statutory body set up to consider this type of issue, he added, and the Assembly should vote to set up a dialogue which involved it.
Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache said the curriculum council only met three times annually and that he feared it was likely that its review would not be completed in time for any action to be taken before the end of the current parliamentary session.
He said: “This is a blatant attempt to kick the proposition into the long grass – a polite way of telling Deputy Tadier to ‘get lost’.
“The French language is part of Jersey’s history and culture.”
Deputy Sam Mézec said it was important that the details were looked at properly, while Deputy Carina Alves said that proceeding without the council’s advice, and consideration of issues such as costs and recruitment, would be irresponsible.
Two former ministers, Deputies Helen Miles and Philip Ozouf, said their ability to speak French had been important in securing agreements about day-trips from France to Jersey and fishing rights respectively.
Deputy Ozouf, who gave the opening part of his speech in French, criticised the “systematic erosion” of language teaching, which he said he believed had taken place “by stealth”.
The proposition stipulated that the requirement for students to study at least one modern language, other than English, should be extended from Key Stage 3 (ages 11-13) to Key Stage 4 (ages 14-16) from September 2026.
The debate was adjourned shortly before 5.30pm and is due to resume this morning.
