Prize for Madame Thatcher...and languages

The President of Lithuania has given Mrs Thatcher the grand cross of the order of the Lithuanian grand duke Gediminas (grandness all round) during a visit to London. Presumably for her efforts in bringing down the Soviet Union. And why not.

Here's a speech he made during the same visit to the UK. It's nice. He talks about the Lithuanians in the UK and the 18 Lithuanian language schools (Saturday schools) for the 30,000 Lithuanian children living in the UK, including my friend Grazina's grand-daughter who lives in London and is doing very well in her English school. He says:

'In my view, the greatest potential in this regard lies in the new emerging powerhouse of our relationship: the almost 150,000-strong Lithuanian community in the United Kingdom. They work in financial services and farms, research institutes and supermarkets, hotels and construction companies. Many of them study at British universities. By bringing here their knowledge and skills, their energy and passion for work, they also brought dynamism to the British economy. They contribute to the diversity, cultural and academic life of British society. They build local economies and form new communities. They participate and vote in local elections. The energetic Lithuanian community in Britain forms a direct and essential link in the human chain that connects our two nations and creates unlimited opportunities for bilateral cooperation.' (This is from effectively a Republican, speak Conservative. Not exactly Daily Mail speak, is it?)

He's asked for a GCSE to be developed for Lithuanian - there's been a petition signed by 9000 parents (30,000 Lithuanian children in the UK). And why not [again]? Which reminds me of the story I read about the GSCE's and A-levels in languages like Urdu, Arabic and Mandarin. It's about the fact that native English speakers who decide to take these languages for their GCSEs and A-levels, learning them as foreign languages, should get a 'fair deal' - in other words, allowances should be made so they have the same opportunities to get a high mark as those having these languages as their mother tongue. The Girls' [private] Schools Association is pushing for this.

Well, excuse me! Using this kind of logic, then, all those children whose mother tongue is not English, should get similar compensations when taking exams in English, no? Can't quite see that happening.