The question of whether children should acquire a foreign language at primary school or not has long been a matter of debate. While some argue that it should not be allowed for children to learn a new language, I believe that early exposure to foreign languages is beneficial for both children’s cognitive development and future career.
The idea that depriving children of learning foreign languages from an early age is not without merit. One compelling reason is that making foreign languages mandatory can give extra pressure to children in addition to the pressure they already face from other subjects. The pressure coming from math and science can make them adequately overwhelmed and stressed, and submitting new assignments to learn a new language may undermine their motivation and even leads to loss of enthusiasm towards existing subjects. More importantly, before urging children to acquire another language, they should master reading, writing, and their native language first. This is because without them they are highly likely not to learn other languages. For instance, some primary students cannot write fluently in their mother tongue yet. Therefore, it can be said that children should not be forced to learn other languages, especially before understanding the basics of their native language.
Nevertheless, I maintain that foreign language acquisition from early years should be prioritised for two main reasons. First and foremost is that since children’s brains are more flexible, they are less likely to face as many challenges as their older counterparts do while absorbing the language. In other words, learning vocabulary and understanding grammar rules would be much easier for them. In countries such as the Netherlands and Sweden, kids start English at 6 and reach fluency by 12. By doing so, in turn, children can broaden their cultural outlook by reading about their traditions and history. Equally important is the future opportunities available to children. This is because knowing another language increases job prospects and global mobility. This means that bilingual employees are in great demand in multinational companies and paid competitive salaries. A case in point is Uzbekistan, where knowing English is becoming one of the main requirements for many, and those who know English well are rewarded with additional incentives.
In conclusion, while both perspectives hold merits, I am convinced that learning other languages at primary school, rather than leaving it to later years, is more advantageous for children due to the linguistic and cognitive abilities discussed above.