Little to excite about our basic learning problem

THE Asia white paper is not the first report to say seductive things about languages. Proficiency in more than one language is a basic skill. Who could resist a statement like that?

And it sounds sensible to make sure that children who begin, say, Japanese, at primary school can keep at it when they move to high school. They are promised "continuous access" to languages.

For universities, there will be "support" to lift enrolments in Asian languages. For students keen to go into Asia, there is an almost explicit enticement - "more financial support".

OK, the white paper was never expected to be bristling with policy and dollars. It's the big picture supposed to inspire detailed drafting later on; reviews must wait.

The statistics for the learning of Asian languages in schools and universities, frankly quoted by the white paper, are dispiriting.

They reflect a history of big promises never followed through with proper planning, money or patience.

The white paper expels Korean from the four Asian priority languages in favour of Hindi. Whether or not Hindi is in some sense a "better" language to learn now is not the point.

It's the perfunctory explanation. It will not reassure those who see the official endorsement of a subset of Asian languages as narrowly tied to a reading of the economic tea leaves.

The tea leaves change but, so far, our underachievement persists.