Yesterday brought news that language departments in some universities are unable to recruit sufficient students of good calibre, and so are "dumbing down".
One piece of evidence is the fact that in some colleges the set books are being studied in English translation, rather than in the original language! Some entrants are even received remedial classes, because A levels are not giving sufficient grounding in basic grammar or language.
The cause is undoubtedly the decline in the number of students sitting A level and GCSE in foreign languages. It is difficult to see how the decline may be reversed. Students often find languages difficult, in part because they lack analysis in their own! Schools tend not to encourage students into what are called "difficult subjects" because failures will influence pass rates and school rankings. They "push" students into "less demanding " subjects.
Ultimately, of course, it is a sad reflection on what is happening even earlier in our failed education system.
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