Sir, Gillian Low, the president of the Girls’ Schools Association, is absolutely right to draw attention to the initiative overload placed upon schools by government and the apparent lack of a cohesive plan for education from ministers (report, Jan 13). However, she is wrong to suggest that because Mandarin is “an incredibly complex language”, it should not be offered to children in all schools.
I introduced Mandarin Chinese as a compulsory subject at Brighton College in 2006 for a variety of reasons. In part, I wanted the children leaving my school to have a proper insight into the language and culture of a country we simply cannot afford to ignore. In part, I was conscious of the rising demand from employers for Mandarin speakers. But I was also enthusiastic about Mandarin precisely because it is a complex language and because I know that children actually enjoy being stretched and challenged.
It is important that schools are places of learning where children should be exposed to difficult concepts and challenged to think. They deserve no less.
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Richard Cairns
Headmaster, Brighton College