Languages slip from minor to major

Eight languages have lost the right to bid for minority subject funding because they are attracting too many students.

Dutch, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Greek and Hebrew have all crossed the threshold of an annual average of more than 100 enrolments across all years of study. Two area studies categories -- Scandinavian studies and South East Asian studies -- have also moved off the minority list.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England circular inviting bids for minority funding, was issued this week by HEFCE.

London's School of Oriental and African Studies is also excluded because of the extra support it received following an independent review last year.

Institutions are being invited to bid for a share in the non-formula allotment of Pounds 3 million for 1995/96 by November 25. They will receive the results in January. They will be published in March.

In addition to falling below the 100 threshold, subjects must be unlikely to attain standard staff:student ratios in the foreseeable future, be of national importance, be the principal subject of study leading to a degree-level qualification and not be a new development in an institution.

Forty-two subjects have been listed based on returns from universities: Aramaic, Armenian, Assyriology, Buddhism, Bulgarian, Byzantine and Ottoman studies, Caribbean studies, Catalan, classics, Czech, crop protection, Danish, Egyptology, equine studies, ergonomics, ethnomusicology, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic studies, Indian, Jain studies, Korean, medieval Latin, mining engineering, Mongolian, numismatic studies, palaeography, Panjabi, paper science, Persian, Polish, Romanian, Sanskrit, scholastic philosophy, Serbo-Croat, sign language, soil science, theatre directing, Turkish, Urdu, Welsh/Irish studies and West African studies.