Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

It is often argued that

children

should learn a foreign

language

at the primary

school

level

instead

of secondary

school

.

Although

there are some who advocate that learning a foreign

language

should start at high

school

, I’m strongly inclined towards the view that

children

should be taught foreign languages at primary levels. One of the main advantages of learning a foreign

language

at an early age is to promote a child’s cognitive development and mastery over the

language

since

children

at

this

period are more receptive and have a great memory,

therefore

they become well-versed in grammar, pronunciation and syntax which are the key components of any

language

.

For instance

, it has been observed that a child who has been learning English since grade 1 speaks it more fluently than a student who started learning the

language

from grade 7 or 8 onwards.

Furthermore

, being an expert at a new

language

at primary

school

would help them enormously in the long run. By knowing a

second

language

, they can acquire knowledge about the lifestyle, the culture of a different country and are able to adapt well when studying abroad.

However

, there are a few disadvantages as well. Adding another

language

to the curriculum can be burdensome for the

children

especially if the emphasis is on teaching reading and writing.

This

causes them a lot of difficulties and

also

they confuse the alphabets of one

language

with the alphabets of another

language

. In my opinion, schools can avoid

this

issue by focusing only on speaking in primary

school

. Once the child is older, writing and reading can be taught. To conclude, there are many benefits to learning a foreign

language

at primary

school

and they indeed outweigh the risks involved.