Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 146: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on whether a complete and thorough examination of the teaching of Irish at primary and secondary school should take place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12964/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The recent report of the Irish Language Commissioner highlighted the fact that despite appreciable time devoted to Irish in the school system, many students emerge from primary and post-primary education without achieving a reasonable command of the language. Particular concerns were raised about students' command of the spoken language. While I accept that the standard of oral Irish in particular of many of our young people is not as it should be, it is important to note that significant efforts have been made by my Department in recent years to improve standards in the teaching and learning of Irish in our schools.

The revised Irish language programme at primary level places a strong emphasis on oral Irish. This programme, implemented in all schools since September 2003 and supported by extensive inservice training by the primary curriculum support programme, should bring significant improvement to the standard of spoken Irish over time. This development at primary level complemented similar curricular changes at second level where syllabus reform is ongoing.

Significant improvements are being made in regard to the provision of materials and resources for the teaching of Irish. An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta has been established to progress this area and to provide support services for schools. Funding has been provided to the comhairle to support this task and this is an area that will need further work.

Marino Institute of Education now provides Irish courses at different levels for teachers and an enhanced range of supports for those studying for the scrúdú le haghaidh cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge has been put in place. Evaluations by my Department's inspectorate of the teaching and learning of Irish in our schools provide useful analysis to underpin future policy making in this area.

The inspectorate, in its 2002 publication, 50 School Reports — What Inspectors Say, has reported that the teaching of Irish is good in the majority of primary schools with the strongest aspects being the teaching of reading, poetry and writing. However, oral language attainment is generally poor despite considerable time being devoted to this aspect of Irish. This resonates with a view expressed by the Coimisinéir Teanga that insufficient attention is given to the use of Irish as a medium of communication in lessons taught. The Coimisinéir Teanga has pointed to other issues which I will consider in the context of developing ongoing policy responses.

At post-primary level, subject inspection reports indicate that inspectors regularly observe a good standard in the teaching and learning of Irish and that students demonstrate a good knowledge of texts being studied. However, there is concern that Irish is not used as the language of instruction in many classes, that Irish is taught though English in a significant number of classrooms and that the level of exemptions from Irish is too high. My Department is engaged in a number of evaluation activities relating to the teaching and learning of Irish. These include a focused evaluation of Irish in 45 primary schools and an evaluation of the teaching and learning of Irish in the junior cycle in 75 post-primary schools. Both of these inspections will be completed in 2005 and reports will be published subsequently.

A report on standards of Irish in sixth class in primary schools is being prepared by Dr. John Harris and will be finalised later in 2005. This report will look at changes in pupil achievement levels between the years 1985 and 2003. Also, at the request of my Department, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, is carrying out a review of languages in the post-primary curriculum. This will include Irish. I am confident that the above reports will both inform us of good practice within the system and point to areas requiring improvement.

The inspectorate of my Department, on foot of a major review of Irish language policies carried out in the Department last year, has recently prepared an internal report for policy discussion regarding areas where further improvements could be made. The Coimisinéir Teanga, along with other interest groups, contributed to that process. I have also recently met with An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta to discuss further improvements that could be made to support schools in improving the teaching and learning of Irish and to promote high quality education through the medium of Irish.

It is important to note that the issue of promoting the Irish language is not one that can be advanced by schools alone. Societal attitudes to the Irish language certainly impact on students' desire to learn it. This Government has demonstrated a clear commitment to promoting our national language. It is hoped that the continuing initiatives in education along with the increased emphasis on the use of Irish in the Official Languages Act, will in time create a positive climate whereby students will realise the value of learning our native language and, as a consequence, language competence will prosper.