Leading article: Language loss

The news that universities are cutting back on languages at a time when the Government is trying to rebuild modern language provision in schools is worrying. Students will no longer be able to major in Portuguese at Cambridge; the same fate has befallen Hindi and Sanskrit at that university. Now, Dundee University is reducing its language provision. Will there be enough courses available in future when, it is hoped, more students will be willing and able to study languages at university? We hope so and we hope that the Higher Education Funding Council is monitoring the situation.