Labour and Tories both promise to secure the future of GCSE and A level foreign languages
Britain’s two major political parties have both promised to secure the future of Turkish as GCSE and A level subject.
Labour and the Conservatives – one of which will lead the country’s next government – have pledged to work the OCR examination board to ensure the language is offered to secondary school students in the future.
The future of the qualifications has been in doubt ever since the OCR scrapped Turkish two months ago, saying there was “low demand” for the subject. The exams are due to be abolished in 2017.
Labour’s shadow education minister Tristram Hunt said last week his party secure the future of Turkish and other lesser taught foreign languages if it forms the next government.
His pledge was echoed on Monday by the Conservative education secretary Nicky Morgan, who wrote to examination board directors telling them her party would “guarantee” the future of language exams, including Turkish.
Both Mr Hunt and Ms Morgan said they would meet exam board chiefs in the first weeks of the next government.
The Liberal Democrats stopped short of an explicit promise to rescue Turkish GCSE and A levels, saying they would meet exam chiefs to “indicate that Turkish should continue to be available”.
Mark Dawe, chief executive of the OCR, said his organisation would welcome an exchange of views on the future of Turkish and other foreign language exams.
He told Londra Gazete: “OCR would welcome such a consultation which, in order to arrive at a viable solution, would need to include how any Government proposes to cover the costs of loss-making language provision, and ensure there are enough teachers, syllabus writers, question setters, markers and awarders with the necessary language and examining knowledge and skills.”
