Dundee pupils are abandoning French, German and Spanish subjects after changes were made in the examination system last year, it has been claimed.
The number of pupils choosing to study modern languages has plummeted by more than 70%, with an alarming drop of 86% in those taking French and 68% taking German, according to Councillor Laurie Bidwell, Labour’s education spokesman on the city council.
The numbers of those learning Spanish has also taken a drop of 21%, in the new figures he says he obtained from the education department.
Mr Bidwell says following the replacement of Standard Grades last year by the new National 4 and National 5 exams, only 171 pupils are taking either French, German or Spanish this year, compared to 666 last year who took Standard Grades a drop of some 74%.
Mr Bidwell says that under the changes, a 25% reduction in the choice of subjects effectively means hundreds of pupils are no longer choosing modern languages.
As a result he has now added an emergency debate on the issue to the agenda when the education committee meets tonight.
Mr Bidwell said: “I have raised this issue on the agenda because I believe we should be monitoring and responding to the effects of switching from Standard Grades to the new National 4 and 5 examinations.
“I want to make it clear that my observations should in no way be seen as a criticism of the examination results of our pupils nor their teachers in our schools. My comments should be seen as issues we should acknowledge and respond to in the current school year.
“What was noticed when the changes to the examinations were first flagged up to pupils, parents and carers was the reduction in 25% of the subjects that our young people could enter in their S4 examinations,” he said.
“Whereas an S4 pupil could undertake eight Standard Grade courses, with the new National 4 and 5 examinations only six subject courses could be followed throughout S4.
“This reduction seemed to be at odds with the aims of Curriculum for Excellence promoting a broad general education.
“Changes like this are likely to have a profound effect on the number of young people taking a modern language at Higher, Advanced Higher and subsequently at university.
“It will also have an effect on the number of language teachers we can maintain in our schools; weakening rather than strengthening this area of the curriculum.”
Education convener Stewart Hunter said: “Head teachers haven’t raised any issues with the department so we are a bit surprised by these claims and I’m looking forward to hearing him explain more at the committee meeting.”