08 January 2024 , 17:54
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British pupils may soon be able to go on school trips to Germany without a passport.
It is part of a campaign there to encourage youngsters to study German at GCSE. The number is down dramatically – from 125,600 in 2003 to 34,700 last summer.
The Home Office is being urged to cut post-Brexit red tape, which is making school exchange programmes more difficult.
Germany is happy to scrap the need for child passports on school trips to make visits easier and cheaper. The nation’s ambassador to the UK, Miguel Berger, said high levels of English spoken across the world should not stop Brits learning another language.
Mr Berger added: “To get a real understanding of another country requires you to learn the language.”
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The Home Office said: “In March the Prime Minister met the French president and committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements.”
It added it would consider negotiations with other nations over similar issues.