Schools and Universities: Language Learning

Baroness Hooper Excerpts

Thursday 8th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hooper (Con)]

My Lords, it is already clear at this late stage in the debate that a very strong case has been made for action to be taken to ensure the sustainability of language learning and the supply of qualified foreign language teachers in our schools and universities. In thanking the noble Baroness, Lady Coussins, for securing this debate and for dealing, with her customary thoroughness, with practical ways to move forward with the issues, I shall therefore try to devote my five minutes to the sustainability theme.

Nevertheless, I first make clear my support for the noble Baroness’s suggestions. In addition, I acknowledge the co-operation received from various embassies and other organisations, mainly voluntary ones. For example, as the noble Lord, Lord Hannay, pointed out, we were able to celebrate 120 years of the language assistants programme between the UK and France, and there has also been a very good Spanish embassy project in this field. But, of course, both are affected by the current visa, and other, restrictions.

Will the Minister consider a partnering arrangement, similar to that of the funding of development projects by the FCDO, which aims to match funding raised by voluntary organisations with departmental funding? It seems a very good way of bringing the public and private sectors together. I also acknowledge the work of the APG on Modern Languages, so admirably co-chaired by the noble Baroness, Lady Coussins, and so efficiently moved forward by its secretariat.

In looking to the sustainability of language teaching and learning, I wish to focus on the role of edtech—not to replace traditional teachers, but to aid and support them. The noble Baroness, Lady Lane-Fox, has already referred to this. Here, I must declare an interest as the honorary president of BESA, the British Educational Suppliers Association, and a promoter of the Bett, the British Educational Training and Technology Show, where last year, 35,000 attendees from over 125 countries came together to share ideas and shape the future of learning. Anyone who has attended one of these annual exhibitions will realise what support and time-saving can be given to teachers in all subjects—but this is especially evident in language learning. The example of Duolingo has already been referred to in this context. This year, the Bett will take place at the Excel Centre between 21 and 23 January. I thoroughly recommend a visit for anyone who may, like me, not be fully conversant with all the possibilities and advantages that the use of edtech can bring, especially to teachers. Is the Minister planning a visit to this year’s Bett exhibition?

In 1988, when, as the then Lords Minister in the Department for Education, among other things I was taking the Education Reform Bill through the House of Lords. That Bill introduced the national curriculum. We had many discussions in the department about the need to include modern languages as a core subject. I would never have dreamt that 38 years later, we would still be discussing the value of and need for language learning as a tool and skill.