Is English subject compulsory in your schools? What other languages are taught?
By buchi_bulla
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
India
November 18, 2009 5:37am CST
In India English is a compulsory subject in schools. It is the first language. Then regional language like Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi will be the second language. Third language which required to score only pass marks will be either Hindi, Kannada etc. Depending upon the region, the second and third languages will be decided. If it is Tamil dominated area then Tamil as second and Hindi as third language. How about your country? Is English a compulsory language? What other languages are taught in your schools?
3 people like this
35 responses
@CALLIBAN (278)
• Portugal
19 Nov 09
Hi.
I live in Portugal.
Here it works like this:
You have your first 4 years as a child. Then, you go to another school for two years. In this school you have to chose between english or french. In the end of these two years, you keep the first language and start to learn also the other one you left. In this new school you will have 6 years before you go to the university. around the 2nd or 3rd year you can chose german if you like.
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
Then you have the option to learn three languages in all, English, French and German. All the three languages are widely used ones. I am happy you have opportunity to learn all the three languages.
@CALLIBAN (278)
• Portugal
8 Aug 10
Yes, It's true :)
I can't complain...I know English, french, italien and spanish. Never studied spanish or italien, but they are similar languages to portuguese. Knowing these 4 languages I can travell the world. I would like to know german and I always wanted to learn an asiatic language. One of these days, I start to learn :)
1 person likes this
@aldavidov (13)
• Bulgaria
19 Nov 09
I come from Bulgaria. In our country 20 years ago Russian language was compulsory. But after political changes in Eastern Europe our children have a choice between English, German, French language.
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@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
That is really nice to know that you have choice to learn more languages.
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@nitin_hec (1096)
• India
18 Nov 09
In Haryana, Hindi and English is compulsory and Punjabi or Sanskrit is an optional.
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@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
English is an international language. That is why it is given so much importance everywhere.
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@Sreekala (34312)
• India
18 Nov 09
Hi Buchi,
In our native place there are two medium of education available, English medium and Malayalam medium. In Malayalam medium first language should be Malayalam and second language should be English and third will be Hindi. Three languages are compulsory in school upto 10th standard irrespective of the medium of education. After the tenth standard the first language should be English and the second language you can choose according your like. Yes English is compulsory and without this language we can’t survive.
1 person likes this
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
18 Nov 09
Very true. For further education, English is must. That means you must be knowing Malayalam very well is it not? Why cannot you teach me Srikala? Is it difficult to learn? When you say Malayalam, immediately I remember one thing. Even in reverse, it is Malayalam only. Right?
1 person likes this
@soybeans612 (122)
• United States
19 Nov 09
I live in the US, and I know english has always been a subject that I had to take from elementary school to high school. And when I was in intermediate school that's where I was required to take a second language, ranging from Spanish, Italian, or French. I live in New York, so maybe elsewhere it's different. I heard now that students are learning Spanish now in kindergarten but I'm not 100% sure about it. But english is a course that's very important in the schools here. But a second language was only mandatory for me in intermediate school and high school.
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@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
I feel learning English is useful for our own self as it is international and many books on all subjects are available in English language. By knowing English language, we can read them and gain knowledge.
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@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
18 Nov 09
I have studied in Andhra Pradesh in Telugu medium. I think the order was different then. But it was in 60s, long long ago. Thanks for the information Baba2020 garu.
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
2 Dec 09
Living in Canada, English is the main language we learn in our school, and the main second language we learn is French, because the entire province of Quebec is a French speaking province. Once a student enters highschool they have the option to learn smoe other languages, I think.
1 person likes this
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
That is really good to know danishcanadian. These two English and French languages are learnt by many people all over the world with so much interest.
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
20 Nov 09
Hello Buchi_bulla. English is a compulsory subject in our school. But we also have some other foreign languages like Japanese, German and Korean. Ours is a language school aimed for those who are interested in learning foreign languages. But I have to say that English is taught in almost all the schools in China, as it is considered to be the major foreign language due to its being widely used internationally. I think that it is good for one to master at least one foreign language.
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@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
Yes, you are right. English is an international subject, which is to be learnt for convenience's sake so that we can read many useful books and material in English. Along with that any other foreign language will come handy at times like French, German etc.
@antony2best (583)
• India
19 Nov 09
according to me it is hindi which is the compulsory language in most of the school.but if we take the case of developed cities including the capital delhi,it is english which is of primary importance.we don't have hindi in the 11th and 12th standard.this is the case in my school.i'm the student of class 12 of st.xaviers school,delhi.we had hindi only till class 10.and let me tell you,it was very tough for me.i considered it a burden.but i respect the language.
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
Hindi is videly spoken in India. But English has taken a better position than Hindi in the sense, the curriculum is covered widely in English. Further throughout the world, many books on all the subjects are available in English language. Hence learning English will help us read and gain knowledge on varied subjects.
@mymelodake (1338)
• Philippines
19 Nov 09
Here in the Philippines, English is a compulsory subject, and then of course, we have Filipino. Aside from that, with the exception of Filipino subject, most if not all other subjects like Math, Science, History, even Philippine History, are taught in English. English may not be the official "first language" taught in schools, but when you think about it, it IS. The university I graduated from encourages its student to speak English, and it is mainly the preferred language of the school. Also, since I am Chinese, I graduated kindergarten, elementary, and high school from a Chinese school. So, aside form English and Filipino, we were also taught Mandarin and Fookienese. Fookienese is the most widely spoken Chinese dialect in our city, because most Chinese immigrants are from, or trace their ancestry from Fujian, China. During our time, Fookien was used to teach Chinese, and Mandarin was only secondary to it. I think this is wrong though, because Mandarin is the Official Chinese language, and it is much more useful globally than Fookien. Now, though, my old school is focused on Mandarin, so I am glad, though I wish it were the same with us.
1 person likes this
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
Thanks for the detailed information mymelodake. It has educated me with many languages and the information as to how and why it is implemented in that manner. In fact first time I am coming to know of Fookienese language. I thought that Mandarine is the Chinese language and your response has given good information to me on this subject. Thank you so much for that.
@vandana7 (99882)
• India
19 Nov 09
Hi Buchi_bulla, I think that question is for people other than Indians, isn't it? So I guess you already know my reply. :) I am from Andhra Pradesh, but I completed my primary education in Rajasthan, and Mumbai. :) Obviously, it was Hindi, and Marathi. :)
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
This shows you know Hindi, Marathi well. You must be knowing Telugu also well is it not? Of course English goes without saying. Angel of languages.
@deepasubramani (1074)
• India
24 Nov 09
In our school English was compulsary subject other than these we had kannada, hindi and sanskrit, if we opt 1st language english, then second language would be kannada and third language would be hindi. If we opt Sanskrit as first language then 2nd language would be kannada and third language would be hindi.
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
Even in our days, English was first language, Telugu second language and Hindi was the third language. But in certain schools, Sanskrit was given the status of third language as optional.
@raduzahc (12)
• Denmark
19 Nov 09
In Romania the first language we learn is of course our native language(romanian). In the third grade we start learning english as the first foreign language(compulsory). In the fifth grade we either learn french or german as second foreign language.
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
That is really good that you learn your native language Romanian, Popular language English and also another popular foreign language German or French in your school days.
@Albert1989 (372)
• Malaysia
2 Aug 10
Ya, English subject is compulsory in my schools.
Globally English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a 'world language', the lingua franca of the modern era. While English is not an official language in most countries.
It is currently the language most often taught as a second language around the world to the extent that it has ceased to be the exclusive cultural property of 'native English speakers', but a language that is absorbing aspects of cultures worldwide as it continues to grow.
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@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
Very well said Albert1989. Many books on varied subjects and topics are printed in English. Hence English has become a compulsory to be learnt language. This will help us access to literature of varied nature, books, subject matters and knowledge.
@saizo6 (2199)
• United States
19 Nov 09
Well...since I live in the US, English is the first language in school. The second is Spanish. This one is a major biggie, especially if you live in California like I do. There are a lot of Spanish speaking people (Latino is the second largest ethnic group in the state) so it's become somewhat necessary to know some of the language. It's very surprising to know that white is the minority ethnicity here in California. This state is so diverse, you can find people from everywhere. The other languages are up for grabs. I know that Japanese and French is taught at my college though.
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
Hai, this is a news to me that in California there are lot of Spanish speaking people and you have Spanish language as the second language. French language is learnt by many people now-a-days.
@nikhil_sun (576)
• India
19 Nov 09
Yes,English is a compulsory language in my city schools,atleast the English medium ones.Then there are second and third languages as you mentioned.These could be hindi or any local languages depending on the state you are in.
@larish (2191)
• Philippines
19 Nov 09
Yes, English is part of our curriculum. I am from the Philippines and English is also use as mode of communication in schools. Most of the times school instruction are written in english. We were taught to speak and write in english in our elementary days.
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@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
That is good to us as English is the international language and it has got many good literature and books on varied subjects and topics.
@agv0419 (3022)
• Philippines
19 Nov 09
Here in the Philippines it is compulsary because we widely use English here aside
from our own language which is Filipino we also have dialects in every part of the Philippines. English here taught as early us Kindergarten or much earlier. English is our second language and English now a days is very important because English speaker is much in demand in Corporate world and in call centers.
1 person likes this
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
Now-a-days, whether it is any administrative office or company, it has global connections. Hence learning English has become compulsory.
@Hedwig (283)
• China
19 Nov 09
As far as I know, English is a compulsory subject in most schools in China. However, I have heard that in some schools, students have other choices, such as French, German, and so on. In that way, they can take that language instead of English as a compulsory test in their College Entrance Examination.
1 person likes this
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
That means in schools, English language is compulsory I understand.
@Jackie8 (127)
• China
19 Nov 09
When I was in school, English is the compulsory subject from middle school, it's the second language, the first is my national language. but not, my little daughter is in primary school, english bacome her compulsory subject too. English is the most wide use second language in country,even in the world. Although it is hard, but we have to learn it well.
1 person likes this
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
8 Aug 10
Yes you are right Jackie8. English is an international language and many books on different subjects and topics are available in English language. It is useful for us to learn English well. We can enhance our knowledge by accessing these books and literature.
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