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Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Baroness Coussins (Crossbench). It was answered by Baroness Verma (Conservative) on Tuesday, 6 March 2012.


Universities: European Languages

Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the 2012 university applications figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) showing that applications for courses in European languages are down by 11.2 per cent and non-European languages by 21.5 per cent compared to the previous year.
Answer

My Lords, 2011 was a record year in the overall number of people applying for higher education places. However, we cannot make a direct comparison as a reduction this year could be considered inevitable, with applications for language courses coming from a reducing population of 18 year-olds. We estimate that there will still be many more applications for higher education language courses than places available. The previous Government marginalised languages in schools. This Government are stimulating language study, and an increasing number of young people are now studying languages.


Secondary information

Type
Oral question
Reference
735 c1664 
Session
2010-12
Oral question type
Lead
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
Subjects
Admissions Languages Universities
Link
View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk