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Opposition Criticises Education Act Amendment on Compulsory English
Friday 15 Octtber 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, October 15 (TASR) - Education Minister Eugen Jurzyca's proposed legislative amendment instituting English as a compulsory lanaguage in primary schools from September 2011 came under fire from opposition parties during debate in Parliament on Friday for being unrealistic.
Smer-SD MP Bibiana Obrimcakova said such a measure restricts a pupil's right to pick a foreign language, adding that she does not see it as appropriate for the state to designate a foreign language that children should learn. The amendment throws regional schools back decades and such changes can adversely affect the quality of language training.
Her views were echoed by former education minister Jan Mikolaj (SNS) who said the pupils should be entitled to choose a foreign language. According to him, introduction of a compulsory English is a political gimmick. "It looks good for the public," he said.
Jana Zitnanska, MP for the ruling coalition's Christian Democrats (KDH), thinks that children should learn a foreign language right from the first grade of primary schools (whereas the proposed amendment calls for Grade 3).
"Perhaps you have never taught 1st graders from a socially disadvantaged environment," jumped in Obrimcakova, who says that such children are hard pressed just to cope with Slovak.
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