Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Tá an freagra seo tugtha agam ón Aire Oideachais agus caithfidh mé an freagra sin a thabhairt, ach tá suim agam san ábhar seo mar is mise an tAire na Gaeilge agus na Gaelainne. Bhí mé ag éisteacht go dian leis na rudaí atá ráite ag an Seanadóir Kyne. Beidh a fhios ag an Seanadóir go dtacaíonn creatchuraclam na bunscoile le forbairt churaclam bunscoile a thógann ar rathúlacht agus ar láidreachtaí na gcuraclam roimhe seo agus, ag an am céanna, ag aithint agus ag freagairt do dhúshláin, riachtanais athraitheacha agus tosaíochtaí laistigh dár scoileanna. D'fhorbair an Chomhairle Náisiúnta Curaclaim agus Measúnachta creatchuraclam na bunscoile thar thréimhse shé bliana agus cuimsíonn sé tarraingt ar chorpas fairsing taighde náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta; obair le líonra de 60 scoil; dlúthobair le comhpháirtithe oideachais agus páirtithe leasmhara níos leithne agus fairsinge agus comhairliúchán. Cuirtear an creat comhairliúcháin eile san áireamh freisin, lena n-áirítear iad siúd ar struchtúr curaclaim agus am agus teanga.Cosúil le curaclam na bunscoile 1999, soláthraíonn creatchuraclam na bunscoile leithdháiltí íosta ama molta ar bhonn seachtainiúil agus míosúil do gach achar curaclaim, lena n-áirítear teangacha. Níl na hamanna seo éigeantach agus tá siad faoi réir sainriachtanais rang-ghrúpa ar leith agus saineolas gairmiúil na múinteoirí.

As the Senator will know, the primary curriculum framework provides an increase in the weekly time allocation for well-being. It also provides an hour per week for the introduction of foreign languages from third class onwards.

In Irish-medium schools the curriculum is accessed through the medium of Irish, apart from the English-language curriculum. In Irish-medium schools the introduction of formal English language can be delayed until first-class support and acquisition of the Irish language. As for the reduction in the language, one considers the children's experience of language learning during the two free preschool years as part of the early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme, and recent figures indicate that approximately 97% of children avail of the programme.

It should be further noted that the primary language curriculum, curaclam teanga na bunscoile, introduced to all primary classes in 2019, is an integrated language curriculum which draws on the research and supports the transfer of skill from one language to the next through its shared structure and supportive approaches to learning and teaching.

I also note that the primary curriculum framework presents time allocations in two categories, namely, minimum curriculum time and flexible time. Flexible time provides schools with the opportunity to use this time for extended periods of in-depth learning in one or more of the five curriculum languages, including the area of languages.

The Department is committed to a wide range of actions to support the 20-year strategy, as Senator Kyne said, under a number of areas, including education in the Gaeltacht, partial immersion, curriculum assessment, teacher training, development and provision of resources, school provision and supply of teachers for Irish-medium education, out-of-school use of Irish, early-years education, higher education, advanced Irish language skills and third level.

Building on the successes of the Gaeltacht education policy, the Department is currently developing a new policy for Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht. A public consultation was recently concluded and further engagement with the stakeholders, including focus groups, is under way. This work will inform the policy. The Department announced recently the approval of 610 places on the primary initial teacher education programmes for two years, of which 30 are educational places in the bachelor of education, BEd, through the medium of Irish in 2023, making a total of 60 places in 2023.

Finally, the Department's content and language integrated learning, CLIL, project provides the opportunity for children in English-medium early language and care settings, primary and post-primary, to experience and benefit from partial immersion in Irish in order to improve learner confidence and disposition to Irish.