I think it should be encouraged. My school makes you take at least one science, one humanity and one 'art': so you have to choose from Biology/Chemistry/Physics, Geography/History, and a language/Art/D&T. That way you get a nice balance, and most people choose a language over Art or D&T. That said, I don't feel that my IGCSE in Spanish really helped me learn the language. I can probably remember some tourist-y phrases, and even that will be forgotten within a few years.