Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 385: To ask the Minister for Education and Science, further to Question No. 157 of 17 February 2005, her views on the response of a person (details supplied) in County Waterford to her reply to this question; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7505/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the newspaper article referred to by the person in County Waterford. I can find nothing in the article which disagrees with the reply I made previously in which I said that "the experience of learning any second language is hugely beneficial to students in that it develops their awareness of how languages work and builds confidence in their own ability to learn other languages".

It is important to recall the context in which children in many European countries learn foreign languages. Many countries, for example Belgium, Luxembourg and Finland, have a significant historic presence of other languages within their borders or in close proximity. This has created an imperative within those countries to learn those foreign languages. In other regards, far and away the most popular foreign language in European schools is English.

Language development is a central element of the revised primary curriculum. Although the focus is on English and Irish, which are enshrined in the Constitution as official languages of the State, a number of primary schools also offer foreign languages. My Department launched a pilot project for modern languages in primary schools in September 1998. The aims of the pilot project included the development of communication skills in four target languages which are French, German, Spanish and Italian, the fostering of positive attitudes to language learning and the diversification of the languages taught in schools. To achieve these aims in the project schools, the teaching of a modern European language to pupils in fifth and sixth classes was introduced. Currently 394 schools are participating in the initiative at primary level.

At the request of my Department, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has carried out a feasibility study on the teaching of modern languages in the primary curriculum. The report, completed last year, recommended that any decision on the place of modern languages in the primary curriculum should be deferred until the revised primary curriculum has been implemented in full. This will be 2007 at the earliest. Until then, the initiative will continue with support provided by a team of language specialists and funded by my Department. The NCCA is engaging in additional research and some pilot projects with initiative schools to further inform its advice when the primary curriculum has been fully implemented. My Department is working closely with language experts from the Council of Europe to facilitate the analysis of language practice at primary and post-primary level, with a view to the formulation of an integrated language policy. This analysis will include Irish as well as the development of criteria for decision-making on issues such as the inclusion of additional languages in the curriculum. This will complement ongoing work by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment which is engaged in reviewing languages in the post-primary curriculum and the feasibility of expanding provision at primary level.