After shocking study results on the poor reading skills of fourth graders in Germany, there are also discussions in Bavaria about the usefulness of English as a subject in primary school. The Bavarian Association of Philologists is calling for students to first concentrate on reading, writing and arithmetic – and to eliminate English as a compulsory subject in third and fourth grade. However, this has met with resistance from the Ministry of Education, primary school teachers and researchers in foreign language learning.
According to a survey by the Association of Philologists on the level of performance of fifth graders after the transfer, a large majority of grammar school teachers rated their knowledge of German, math and English as only sufficient or even insufficient. 82 percent of the 279 English teachers surveyed, who taught grades five and six this year, even think it makes sense, given the often different levels, to dispense with English altogether in primary schools and instead to strengthen German and maths.
“You have to reconsider the old recipes from 20 or 30 years ago as far as elementary school and the requirements for children in elementary school are concerned,” agrees the association’s chairman, Michael Schwägerl. Of course, early, playful foreign language acquisition also has its advantages. “But the question is whether the focus with the changed composition in the day-care centers and primary schools – German is already the second language for many – does not have to be placed more on the national language, because that is the basic requirement for the secondary schools and participation overall .”
“The Philologists’ Association is playing with fire – and with the language education opportunities and capacities of our children,” judges Heiner Böttger, professor of English didactics at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt and who specializes in early foreign language acquisition. Studies have shown that children with a migration background in particular benefit from English lessons in elementary school, because there they can finally communicate as equals and also have access to German through English.
Bavaria’s Minister of Education Michael Piazolo (Free Voters) also has a clear stance on the demand made by some of the high school teachers: Despite all efforts to improve reading skills, “we mustn’t play the subjects off against each other,” he told the German Press Agency. “For six to ten-year-olds, exercise, singing, making music and creative work are just as important as daily reading practice or mastering basic arithmetic.”
In view of the proven advantages, especially for children with a migration background, it is never too early to start learning a foreign language.