Learning English For Dessert

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: English just 'candy' for the brain
Likening English education to "sweets"--pleasing but unnecessary--education minister Bunmei Ibuki has again expressed his opposition to making the language compulsory at elementary schools. Questioned on the issue during a post-Cabinet meeting news conference Friday, the new minister insisted that teaching fundamental subjects such as Japanese should come first. Describing those core subjects as "protein and starch," which he said were important to maintain the body, he brushed aside suggestions that English classes were necessary. "They (elementary school pupils) can eat delicious cakes and Japanese-style sweets if they still have an appetite for them (after eating the necessities)," he said...more...

[Taro Toporific]

[floatl][/floatl]




Maybe it was this kind "Dessert" that education minister Bunmei Ibuki was thinking about.

[gomichild]

Well they force kids do learn it at Junior High School level - what's the big difference?

Except of course if they start younger they might have more fun with it and enjoy learning it.

It's not like their brains are going to explode with all the extra information. Kids in other countries have been learning another language at that age for years. No reported exploded brains so far.

[sublight]

I think the big fear is that the kids may actually learn something.

Even worse, they might learn a skill that most of the old farts in the LDP couldn't do to save their lives.