There is a common belief that students must be required to learn a foreign language from primary school. There are many perceived advantages and disadvantages to learning an additional language from a young age. Some people believe it provides multiple cognitive and social benefits including enhanced critical thinking and communication skills, whereas others believe that the associated learning processes may overwhelm the learner, especially at a young age. I believe that students should be required to study a foreign language from primary school, as it improves their ability to critically think, and grasp communication skills.
In learning an additional language in their early years, students are able to enhance their critical thinking skills and communication. When learning a new language, students are trained to recognize patterns and connections between words and characters across different structures. Moreover, they are also encouraged to interact with information through different perspectives and opinions, as it provides them with a glimpse of how ideas formulate in a different language. For example, in Cambodia, the majority of international school students are put into a dual language education programme from a young age, which trains them to be able to speak and articulate thoughts in two different languages. As a result, many students are then able to not only communicate, but also deliberate ideas across different core subjects in both their mother tongue and English.
In addition, early language development allows students to develop proficient communication skills in the future. Students that learn an additional language from a young age, and remain consistent with learning it, are often able to further develop their fluency and proficiency especially when they grow older. Being able to speak a second language is proven to be extremely beneficial, as it provides access to another mode of communication that would allow you to connect with others. In the US, Spanish is a common second language that is taught at a young age. Those that are able to develop their proficiency in the language, would be able to effectively communicate with the large population of Mexicans within the country, which may provide benefits in the future through work or building personal relationships.
Even with the supposed benefits of dual language proficiency, many individuals believe that the workload associated with learning another language may outweigh the benefits of language proficiency. Since students would have to balance learning two different languages, the workload would be overwhelming, which could in turn have negative effects on the mental health of students, especially when they are so young. Furthermore, by learning them simultaneously, it may hinder the development of their language skills in their mother tongue, proving to be counterproductive for the growth of the child. The addition of learning to speak an additional language, however, differs from participating in dual language programmes associated with the language. Students who merely learn to improve their literacy skills in the second language will not face nearly as much pressure as described, especially when learning time is limited. Moreover, multiple studies of multilingual students have shown that learning an additional language did not hinder the development of proficiency in their mother tongue. It in turn, improved their overall language proficiency across both languages. Therefore, by managing the learning time in foreign language studies, students will be able to grasp the social and cognitive benefits of learning an additional language without burdening their mental health.
In conclusion, students should be required to learn a foreign language from primary school, as it provides multiple cognitive and social benefits such as improved communication and critical thinking. While some may argue that the workload and time required to commit to learning outweighs the benefits, students should still be mandated to learn with some regulations to manage rigor.