September 26, the European Day of Languages - all over Europe events are being organized with the purpose of encouraging learning of languages, and drawing attention to their great importance. Foto: Reuters
September 26, the European Day of Languages - all over Europe events are being organized with the purpose of encouraging learning of languages, and drawing attention to their great importance. Foto: Reuters

In Slovenia, the Ministry of Education, the European Commission Representative Office and the Education Institute have organized a panel discussion on language integration of immigrants into schools and kindergartens.
Learning of foreign languages starts in Slovenia already in the pre-school period, and in elementary schools teaching of foreign languages is being moved to lower and lower grades. Among students of secondary schools, especially of grammar schools, Spanish is gaining popularity.
A number of events will be organized in Slovenia as well, drawing attention to the European Day of Languages. As written on the European Commission Representative Office website, their purpose is to express the respect of the EU for the diversity of cultures and languages.
The central event of this year's celebration was the Friday panel discussion on language integration of migrants into kindergartens and schools, attended also by the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth, and sport Tibor Navracsics.
English in the lead
More than 200 languages are spoken in Europe, and approximately 60 regional or minority languages. 24 languages are the official languages of the European Union.
The statistical data for 2014 published by Eurostat at the occasion of today's European Day of Languages show that more than 17 million pupils of elementary schools, i.e. 84% of the population, was at that time learning at least one foreign language, and approximately 5% two or more foreign languages. The English language was in the lead, followed by French, German, Spanish, and Russian.
Slovenian children have the opportunity to start learning a foreign language as pre-schoolers, and in elementary schools teaching of foreign languages is being moved to lower and lower grades. The last SURS data show that in the school year 2014/15, two thirds of all pupils were learning at least one foreign language, and more than one half of all the pupils of the last triad were learning also the second foreign language.
The entire population enrolled in the secondary education was learning at least one foreign language, and almost 60% also the second foreign language. The Spanish language is gaining popularity among pupils of secondary schools, especially in grammar schools.