Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I am replying to this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I thank the Senator for raising this issue.

A range of foreign languages is available on the curriculum in schools - French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Arabic - at post-primary level. A post-primary languages initiative has been in place since 2000 with the objective of diversifying language provision in schools, focusing particularly on Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Russian. Some 81% of second level pupils study three languages, Irish, English and a continental language, to completion of upper second level and more than 70% of schools offer two foreign languages or more.

I am aware of the demand for expansion of the range of languages on offer in post-primary schools, particularly in regard to Mandarin Chinese and Polish. However, the fact remains that continued reductions in public expenditure will be essential over the coming years, allied with further reductions in public sector numbers. Of necessity, this must constrain the degree to which additional subjects can be accommodated in our schools.

I appreciate the importance of Chinese language learning in promoting trade and development between Ireland and China as part of the Asia strategy. The core issue is what model of language provision best serves the strategic needs of business and industry in furthering trade and development with China and how scarce resources should be prioritised.

While there are many cultural advantages to widening access to language learning generally in schools, provision of a limited number of hours tuition in the context of the school curriculum would not necessarily equip students with the language skills needed to do business with or in China, nor would it be targeted at a population with this specific need in mind. A more targeted and intensive provision can be provided in further or higher education. Postgraduate and honours degree level programmes in Chinese are offered in University College Cork and honours degree level programmes are provided in University College Dublin and the Dublin Institute of Technology. In addition, a post-leaving certificate course in Chinese with business studies is offered in Ballsbridge College of Further Education and a further 15 higher and further education colleges offer part-time evening courses in Chinese at modest cost. The Institutes for Chinese Studies in UCD and UCC both offer tuition on an outreach basis to schools in their locality, in partnership with the Confucius Institutes. The Department will continue to work closely with the colleges and the Confucius Institutes to support and progress this initiative.

In higher education in the 2009 to 2010 period, a total of 5,200 students were enrolled on programmes with a foreign language component, an overall increase of 16% since 2007. The Institutes of Technology, or IoT, Languages Strategy Network is adopting a proactive approach to language learning and training, fostering inter-institutional collaboration for languages in the sector. The Erasmus study abroad programme has seen an increase in the number of students who have taken a study visit or placement abroad.

The Department and its agencies will continue to engage with industry to ensure that education responds in so far as it is possible to the emerging needs of enterprise in this area. The issue of additional languages in second level schools will be revisited when the budgetary situation improves. I again thank the Senator for raising this matter.