British Campaign to Include Ancient Greek & Latin in School System

By on November 22, 2010 in news

A huge campaign aiming at the restitution of ancient Greek and Latin languages in British Schools began in Great Britain.  Historian, writer and TV presenter Bettany Hughes leads the campaign. According to the Sunday Times, London’s Mayor Boris Johnson, writer Tom Stoppard and actress Joanna Lumley support the campaign.

They declared how much they have gained from the knowledge of classical languages. ” These languages made me exactly what I am today.”, stated Johnson. As Hughes underlines, there are many people who are interested in learning these languages.  The movie “300″ topped the box office. Every week many people send me e-mails asking me where they can learn these classic languages, she notes. The British historian has created a special website dedicated to this effort: www.classicsforall.com. This week the campaign’s representatives will meet with the Minister of Education Nick Gibb to discuss the inclusion of Greek and Latin languages in school programs.

According to a research conducted by Hughes, children that have learned these languages at school have better career oppportunities. “It’s a tragedy, with the Greek meaning, to deprive kids from learning these languages.”, Hughes claimed.



  • Tom Rogerson

    In principle it would be great for young british students to learn ancient greek and latin – very useful in my subject to understand the origins of the words atom, telescope, microscopic, macroscopic, energy etc. Sadly this is a ridiculous idea and will fail. There aren’t anywhere near enough teachers of latin and greek and the vast majority of school children will not be convinced that learning two dead languages is at all relevant to them. I’ve not read Hughes’ research but any school which offers latin and greek is unusual and almost all of them are fee-paying.

  • http://twitter.com/TheloniusBostik Thelonius Bostik

    Bettany Hughes is incredible; her presentations are always compelling. Her input in this campaign will lift it to heights that it might not have otherwise achieved. I regret that classical literature was not a part of the curriculum at Secondary School in the 1980s. i have made up for it since and found astonishing worlds in which to become absorbed; i lament for the loss of such cultured wonderment in the lives of ordinary people.