The Flemish Education Minister Zuhal Demir (nationalist) and the Flemish Language Platform have launched a new initiative to improve the language skills of pupils in Flemish primary schools. The Klim in Taal initiative was launched at a school in the Limburg town of Sint-Truiden on Monday. On its new website Klim in Taal provides primary school teachers with scientific research on language development and learning, information about initiatives to promote language skills and practical example to aid their pupils’ linguistic ability.
Primary school curricula in Flanders are currently under review. The aim is for attainment expectations to be set at the same level throughout Flanders and in Dutch-medium education in Brussels. International research shows that reading skills among both primary and secondary pupils in Flemish schools are not particularly strong compared with pupils in many other countries.
Professor Lieven Buysse of Leuven University (KUL) is a core group member of the Flemish Language Platform. Professor Buysse told journalists that
"The focus should not lie solely on reading, but also on speaking, writing and listening" In order to raise the level of language skills teachers must “possess all the tools to ensure that pupils can reach the level that has been set or enjoy and understand language to such an extent that they can aim even higher”.
Professor Buysse believes that the focus should not lie solely on reading, but also on speaking, writing and listening. “If you focus on all four at the same time, you achieve much greater learning gains”
Language as the foundation
The Flemish Education Minister Zuhal Demir says that the new Klim in Taal (Climb in Language) platform is one means to improving language education in Flanders, now that the minimum attainment targets have been revised.
"It is very valuable to have a platform like Klim in Taal, where resources are available and schools receive tips. We are also going to place real emphasis on a richer vocabulary and better reading comprehension. It is of course very valuable to have a platform like Klim in Taal, where resources are available and schools receive tips”
Ms Demir stressed that “language is more than just a part of learning. It is the foundation that makes all other forms of learning possible. Processing information and communicating with each other is something we all do.”
More information about the campaign can be found at www.klimintaal.be. (site in Dutch).