We are Modern Languages students at the University of Leicester, and the recent decision to cut these courses at our university is devastating not only to us and countless others who share our passion, but for the future of Modern Languages in the UK entirely. The East Midlands is on the brink of becoming a cold spot for Modern Languages courses in Higher Education, which will have far-reaching cultural and educational implications both locally and nationally.

The current proposal is to close Modern Languages to new students from September 2026 and drastically reduce the number of staff teaching out the remaining students. Please join us in advocating for the preservation of Modern Languages courses at the University of Leicester. Your signature can make a difference in ensuring that present and future generations of students can benefit from a comprehensive and inclusive education. We appreciate your consideration.

A university should be an institute of universal education. Cutting Modern Languages and other arts and humanities subjects does not create a well-rounded catalogue of courses and students. Universities have a responsibility to equip students with the tools necessary for success in a global economy, as well as provide a range of courses. With this proposal, they are no longer fulfilling that obligation. It is clear that our university management only cares about the financial ramifications of this decision, despite their repeated claim to care about the ‘continued future and success of the university’. It is not possible to truly care about the future of the university, without caring about students and education as a holistic body. It is your responsibility to provide us with education, not strip us of it.
Modern Languages was one of the founding courses at Leicester, shaping empathetic, passionate global students for more than 100 years. Yet we are so heartlessly disregarded. Without these courses and its graduates, our society will miss out on essential skills and opportunities contributed by Modern Languages graduates. Present and future students at Leicester will also lose the privilege of being taught by our incredible lecturers. Modern Languages at Leicester is ranked 2nd in the UK for “overall positivity” in the most recent NSS, was awarded Citizens Awards for the Best Teaching Team (2019-20) and the department’s teaching excellence played a pivotal role in helping the university gain TEF Gold accreditation. It is immoral for the university to exploit the achievements of Modern Languages to boost public image and then disregard its staff and students by proposing its closure.

New research from the University of Cambridge found that the benefit-to-cost ratios for increasing Arabic, Mandarin, French or Spanish education are estimated to be at least 2:1, meaning that spending £1 could return about £2. Furthermore, a 10% increase in UK students learning French could cumulatively increase UK GDP by between £9.1bn and £9.5bn over 30 years, Spanish is estimated to be between £9.1bn and £9.7bn and Arabic, between £11.8bn and £12.6bn. Their report also shows that the removal of language barriers with trading partners in Arabic-, Chinese-, French- and Spanish-speaking countries could increase UK exports annually by about £19bn. This is no longer a local matter, but an issue on national and worldwide scale. Leicester cannot emphasise their strategy to build skills for global trade and reach and then cut the means of communication to do so.

In 2013, the Independent declared Leicester “the most multicultural city on the planet”. To close a department that develops social comprehension and communication in a city that is so proud of its “super diversity” is disrespectful to its inhabitants. It reduces direct support to businesses that partner with our department and schools that our graduates teach at, and disregards Leicester’s multicultural status. University management should be ashamed of a decision that damages the city’s social and economic development. This proposed closure not only impacts local and regional education, but its communities.

We urge the university administration to reconsider this decision and explore alternative solutions. Rather than closing these programmes, the University must listen to the counter-proposals diligently put together by Modern Languages staff. Efforts to make a compromise have unfortunately been ignored, we are not being listened to.