Learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school

Many people want their offspring to study about different traditions and cultures. A few of them are of the view that children should learn a new language at primary school instead of secondary school. Strong foundation and learning interest are the two main advantages of this, which are far greater than the drawback of weak concepts.

When pupils will study a new language at primary school, not only their base will be strong, but also their learning interest will increase. This is because they have limited course of studies and are eager to learn at this age. They are given homework including plethora of interesting exercises which increases their interest about studying along with making strong basics. As a result, they master it at their early age and become fluent in it. In China, for example, it is mandatory to learn English in preliminary classes. Thus, more than 90% of students of these schools are fluent in speaking this language and study some new languages when they enter in their professional life.

The only drawback of this is weak concepts of a foreign language. That is to say that small children in primary schools hardly understand the basics of this language, such as grammar, collocation and punctuation. Although they become able to speak and read a new language, they may not grasp the fundamentals of it. However, the purpose of studying another language at this age is not to completely master it, but to speak it fluently. In Pakistan, for instance, many parents admit their offspring in language learning centres so that they can learn Chinese. They know that their children will not master it; however, they want them to speak and write basics of it.

In conclusion, the advantages of more learning and robust foundation outweigh the drawback of a less strong fundamentals if pupils learn a foreign language at primary school.