Multilingual education: It is time!

The new generation of students is growing up in a society that is increasingly bilingual and even more multilingual.  While foreign language requirements have long been a core requirement for high school graduation, second or third language classes at an earlier age would improve overall fluency for most students.  It’s essential to introduce other languages concepts to the very young students. Studies in language development show that when young children have more exposure to all languages at an early age, it actually gives them a distinct academic advantage throughout life. I hear often a mistaken argument that students should first master the English language before branching out to others. In my opinion they are able to learn simultaneously several other languages. Multilingual children are able to focus more intently on the topics at hand and avoid distractions from academic pursuits. They are also able to demonstrate higher levels of cognitive flexibility, or the ability to change responses based on environment and circumstances. Exposure to non-native languages should actually begin long before kindergarten: it is the most effective way to achieve the master level of a language. The more that children can take advantage of new concepts, the more in tune their brains will be to all learning throughout life. Some studies have also found that the aging of the brain is slower and the employment rate is higher in adults with multilingual capabilities. There are also the cultural benefits to children learning several languages together. Today communication technology has eliminated many global barriers when it comes to socialization and even doing business; language boundaries should also come down and with help from education systems, it is possible. Multilanguage programs show students a broader world-view, whatever the native language of the student, and lead to greater opportunities for collaborative learning. We should not limit what children learn based on outdated principles masked in patriotism or arrogance (“We speak English; we don’t need to learn another language…”). It generally takes 5–7 years to be proficient in a second language. In other words, students should be introduced to foreign languages at a young age in order to be fluent by adulthood. By implementing multilingual options even younger, students stand to benefit long-term (academically and in life).

So dear parents, kindergartens, schools, universities, governments, what are you waiting for?