UK parents favor Mandarin learning for school pupils

Parents in the United Kingdom are increasingly showing an interest in their children learning Mandarin at school, ahead of other more common language options.

According to a survey of 2,200 parents carried out by eco-friendly building company Modular Classrooms, 30 percent said they would like their children to learn to speak Chinese, "perhaps thanks to the growing economic power of the East".

The survey also found that 36 percent would like their youngsters to learn to speak Spanish, followed by French at 18 percent, then German with 10 percent, and 6 percent of parents opting for Russian.