Minister: Low search numbers for language courses call for action

In this year, there has been a significant decrease in applications for advanced language degree programs.

The number of applicants for language degree programs has fallen by 23 percent, according to figures from the Ministry of Research and Education.

The data covers both quota 1 and quota 2 applicants.

Education and Research Minister Christina Egelund (M) is "very concerned" about the development.

- If we zoom in on language degree programs, which I consider to be absolutely essential in a well-educated society, they have fallen to a level that calls for action, she says.

- And of course, I have thought about doing something about it, she adds.

Minister Egelund will not reveal what initiatives she plans to present or when.

It is important that language skills are maintained, believes Christina Egelund.

- We must of course have high school teachers who can ensure that languages such as German and French continue to exist, she says.

- And we also live in a world that is undergoing intense geopolitical change, and in this context, it is enormously important that we become better, not worse, at understanding each other, she says.

/ritzau/

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