Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

The Deputy is correct that the modern languages initiative started life as a pilot scheme. However, there was never a recommendation or decision by my predecessors to roll it out across the entire network of 3,200 primary schools. Only 17% of that total benefited from the scheme. As an Opposition Deputy I was appalled at the implications of the PISA findings in terms of literacy and numeracy standards among students. Despite considerable increases in resources to the education system in the past 20 to 30 years under various Governments, illiteracy levels in certain sectors of our school population showed no improvement. The correlation between greater resources and better incomes was not borne out in this particular instance.

This is not a reflection on anybody. Literacy begins in the home and these findings do not reflect in any way on teachers. Nevertheless, literacy and numeracy are key predictors of future outcomes for children in the education system. That is why I had to find €19 million from within my budget to finance all the components of the literacy and numeracy strategy, including the changes required in the primary teaching degree and the higher diploma in education, with the former extended from three years to four and the latter from one year to two. The €2.5 million I saved by terminating the modern languages initiative was a significant component of that funding.

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