It is widely believed that a foreign language should not be a compulsory subject at school. While I believe that it is important for schoolchildren to learn it, I agree that this choice should be volitional and match the aspirations of a child.
On the one hand, learning a foreign language contributes to harmonious development of a student. Indeed, languages are tightly connected with the cultures they come from. Thus, school students can have access to traditions and customs that the country has and, as a result, they widen their horizons qand shift the perspective on some of their old beliefs. Moreover, language competency ensures access to materials in another language. For example, if a student learns Spanish, they can enjoy using websites that are only available in Spanish.
On the other hand, pressuring into learning a foreign language is deterrent to a child’s motivation and overall aspiration to acquire new knowledge. One reason is that there would be no chance for a student to develop intrinsic motivation which is important for a long and effective learning. Instead, they would get over-reliant on extrinsic motivation which, in turn, is characterized by its short-term effect and high maintenance for it to be effective. In other words, it would take students plethora of effort to stay focused on their language learning path. Generally, pushing anyone into doing anything is an enormous strain on the person being exploited. The same works for language learning. The more pressure and stress one feels, the less involved they are into learning necessary vocabulary, grammar and communication skills. Above all, it may all result in total aversion of a language.
In conclusion, I would agree that school should encourage learning a foreign language, but not compel it.