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English is really a very important language to learn especially during these times. We all know how influential this international language has become in almost all aspects in our lives, particular to those who’s English are applicable in education, business, profession, and even in politics.
Not to mention how Slovakia, a country whose native language is not English, made it mandatory for learners to learn English.
Well the need started when the English teachers in Slovak language schools felt how it is important for them to use English even in simple and day-to-day routines. Their effort to communicate their concerns towards other people is a highlight to them, which is why they pass legislation to the Slovak parliament to make English learning compulsory among primary schools, a report detailed by the Slovak Spectator.
According to the news, “Education Minister Eugen Jurzyca believes that giving preference to English, as the contemporary lingua franca, over other languages in the mandatory curricula of primary schools will bring fruit in that every secondary school graduate will be tasked with mastering English at the B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. With that aim in mind, the Education Ministry was able to push an amendment to Slovakia’s Schools Act through parliament.” No wonder there is a must-need of English in Slovakia.
On March 1st, the mandate to make English learning compulsory among language schools will soon be effective. You see, Slovakia was actually the 14th country in the European Union to make English language instruction compulsory, since the country’s parliament “overrode a presidential veto of the amendment” just this February 2011. On the same date, the green light was declared as the country’s newest rule, thus it will be officially effective on March also in this year.
As of this moment, 66 percent of students in Slovakia are ought to learn English language, just as it is approximately 90 percent in average in the whole European Union. Slovak students are required to study two foreign languages: one beginning in their third year and a second one beginning in the fifth grade. In other words, English will really become a compulsory subject for them to learn, not just an option to learn. English is now a mandate for them all!
Is this a burden for English learners then in Slovakia? None at all! In fact, this is their opportunity to acquire knowledge with English—the language they really need when they work, or study nationwide or abroad!
