Professor Dame, Historian and Broadcaster Mary beard Supported plan Latin Provide courses for thousands of public school students to reduce language “elitism”.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson Says that the £4 million Latin Excellence Program will ensure that the subject is not “for the privileged few.”
The program will be led by a “center of excellence” that will work with as many as 40 public schools in the United States. UK Develop training resources and teaching materials to teach ancient languages to young people aged 11-16.
The Department of Education (DfE) stated that once the plan is formulated, it will provide support to schools for the first four years from 2022 to 2026, and then “evaluate the next few years.”
In the shared video Twitter Mrs. Mary of the department expressed support for the plan, which will also provide students with the opportunity to visit the Roman heritage.
“For me, Latin is exciting and challenging. It introduces children to the whole world and literature that is different from their own. So it is refreshing and interesting,” said the Cambridge historian.
“I think Latin still struggles in some ways with the view that it’s really just for luxurious white boys, nothing goes further than the truth.”
She added: “I think the more we spread the enthusiasm for learning Latin, the better for everyone and the better for Latin.
“If the program can truly share the fun and challenges of learning Latin with a wider audience, and sometimes encounter difficulties, then it will be very effective.”
There should be no difference between what students learn in public schools and private schools
Mr. Williamson said: “We know that Latin enjoys a high reputation as an elite discipline and is reserved for a few privileged individuals.
“But this theme can bring many benefits to young people, so I want to end this disagreement.
“There should be no difference between what students learn in public schools and private schools. That’s why we relentlessly focus on improving school standards and ensuring that all students learn a broad and ambitious curriculum.
“Latin can help students learn modern foreign languages and bring broader benefits to other subjects, including mathematics and English.”
According to the British Council’s 2020 Language Trends Survey, only 2.7% of public schools teach Latin at Key Stage 3 (from 11 to 14 years old), compared with 49% of private schools.
DfE stated that it will appoint an expert group to cooperate with schools that “provide the best Latin teaching in the country” and develop resources to promote it in poor areas with low GCSE subject penetration to increase enrollment.
The plan will be modelled on the £16.4 million Putonghua Excellence Plan launched in 2016, involving 75 schools and more than 6,000 students, and is expected to be extended for another three years from September.
The £4.8 million modern foreign language teaching pilot project to support 45 schools to teach French, German and Spanish will be expanded from Key Phase 3 to Key Phase 4 (14-16 years old).
