Anthony Lawlor (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The sad thing about the new junior certificate Irish syllabus is that the written paper will account for 90% of a student's overall mark, with 10% being accounted for by continuous assessment. Previously, schools were given an option of 40% of the marks being allocated to an oral exam. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy McHugh, is very enthusiastic about oral exams because he made a significant effort to learn oral Irish when he became Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. I ask the Leader to ask him to come before the House to discuss this matter. If we are to encourage Irish as an oral language, we should do so in schools. If we do not, it will be back to prose and rote learning. There is a question in the sample exam paper regarding a film entitled "A Star is Born". A 14-year-old junior certificate student would not have legally been allowed to see the film because it is restricted to viewers over the age of 15.