On Wednesday 4th of March 2015, about 100 Peripatetic Language tutors in Northern Ireland were informed via email of the following:

"The Minister of Education, at the Education Committee this morning announced that the Primary Modern Languages Programme would cease. [...] The funding for the current programme ceases on 31st March 2015. The SEELB will be in contact with all tutors as soon as further details are known."

We, the tutors, wish to passionately object to the recent hasty decision to discontinue the Primary Modern Languages Programme and urge you to support us and asking the Minister and the NI Assembly to reconsider their decision.

This programme, as it stands today, is delivering foreign language lessons to Key Stage 1 children (P1 to P4) in over 400 Primary Schools in Northern Ireland, reaching almost 40,000 children per week.

Given the obvious advantages of this programme as outlined below, it is most short-sighted and frankly retrograde to discontinue the programme on a purely financial basis.

The benefits, to name a few are:

·         Fostering a love of language

·         Building self-confidence in all ability level children to include those children with physical, emotional, learning and developmental issues, children with special educational needs and those children with English as a second language

·         Early language learning improves academic attainment in both literacy and maths

·         Enhanced future job and career prospects in this global community

·         Cultural awareness in our multi-cultural society

·         Learning a new language at primary level enhances capacity to embrace and learn language and culture (as evidenced in secondary level education where those pupils already exposed to any second language are thriving in their further language learning)

·         The programme allows children from all backgrounds, particularly socio-economically deprived children, to learn on an equal basis

·        The physical interaction in our very well resourced language programme has so many advantages which also address children’s diversity

Without exception our children have overwhelmingly stated that their language lessons are the highlight of their week.

Please listen to their voices.