Support for languages in education
EFA Press Release from MEPs François Alfonsi and Ana Miranda
MEPs François Alfonsi and Ana Miranda have welcomed a report adopted today by the European Parliament which emphasises the importance of multilingualism in education in Europe.
The report on Education, Training and Europe 2020 sets out priority areas for co-operation in education and training across the European Union over the coming years.
Key recommendations include:
* a stronger emphasis on language skills and multilingualism
* better training opportunities for older people
* the need to invest in education particularly in times of economic turmoil
* a stronger focus on early years development.
The report and its recommendations were adopted by MEPs with a large majority.
Corsican MEP Francois Alfonsi, a member of the Parliament's Culture and Education committee said:
"I'm very pleased that the European Parliament has so emphatically recognised the importance of multilingualism in education.
"The report specifically acknowledges the benefits of being able to speak more than one language, and includes regional and minority languages in this definition.
"This is very significant in placing many of the languages which we use every day in Europe on an equal footing with the so-called 'official languages'. It's an acknowledgement of the role that minority and regional languages have to play in education in the future."
Galician MEP Ana Miranda said:
"The European Parliament has recognised the importance of improving education and lifelong learning in helping deliver a long term economic recovery.
"We need to continue investing in education and training in this time of economic difficulty to equip people with the skills they need for today and tomorrow's job market.
"This parliament has emphatically recognised the importance of language skills from an early age. This means all languages - with Galician, Catalan or Basque having an equal status with Spanish or French, for example, in education."
