Many parents want to offer their children the best available education so that they can find a good job when they graduate from college. The knowledge economy makes the whole effort as competitive as ever. All this saga begins as early as Pre-K! One of the key things in the professional development is mastering 2 foreign languages. Especially for a small country like Greece. Only 13 million people speak Greek worldwide.
Many others believe that learning a foreign language is a waste of time. They believe that technologies are developed, technologies that will enable two people to communicate with each other speaking their own language. But learning a foreign language is about learning the customs of each culture. This is why immersive bilingual programs are on the rise. No technology will ever be able to substitute that. Being fluent in a foreign language is a prerequisite in most jobs (almost all).
In Greece, the Ministry of Education allows students to choose French or German. Why not Chinese and Arabic? Both languages are spoken by more people globally. 1 Billion people speak Chinese and more than 420 million people speak Arabic. We guess that this is because of Greece’s location. Which language should the parents choose?
Germany is one of Greece’s biggest trading partners. German is spoken by 95 million people in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland. The Eurozone is on the demise though. Italy could be the next big country to need a bailout. If the Eurozone collapses the German mark will become stronger and the trading account with Germany will be reduced.
