The Russian Ministry of Education has ordered to reduce the number of hours allocated for the study of foreign languages in schools, it follows from the department’s order.
From the new academic year, fifth-graders will study a foreign language for two hours a week instead of three, and the same will happen to sixth and seventh-graders in 2027/2028. The innovation will affect English, Spanish, Chinese, German, and French. Earlier, the department said that the decision was made to optimize the academic load and distribute time more rationally.
The reduction in foreign language hours threatens to lead to the “forgetting” of material and a decrease in language proficiency, warned Galina Frolova, head of the Linguodidactics Department at Moscow State Linguistic University. According to her, long breaks between lessons will negatively affect the assimilation of information, and a reduction in homework will only exacerbate the problem (The Moscow Times).
