Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 78: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the action she has taken to develop a strategy to promote the teaching of Asian languages here as outlined in the Global Irish Forum Report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44670/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Overall there are a range of foreign languages available on the curriculum in schools -- French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Arabic. A post Primary Languages Initiative is in place since 2000 with the objective of diversifying language provision in schools, focusing particularly on Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Russian.

Experience to date has been that while students appreciate the opportunity to learn new languages, and are making good progress, the overall take-up remains low, and it is extremely difficult to develop a capacity and cadre of teachers within the existing system who are capable of teaching the new languages. For example, Japanese continues to be provided through the provision of "bought in" additional services provided by Japanese language assistants. Although third level programmes offering degrees in Japanese are being provided, it has not resulted in qualified teachers of Japanese gaining employment in schools, or in schools prioritising Japanese as a subject within their approved quota of teaching resources.

Post graduate and honours degree level programmes in Chinese are offered in University College Cork, and honours degree level programmes are provided in University College Dublin, Dublin City University and the Dublin Institute of Technology. The Institutes for Chinese Studies in University College Dublin and in University College Cork both offer programmes in Chinese in partnership with the Confucius Institute. These colleges also offer tuition on an outreach basis to schools in their locality. The feedback from this initiative is very positive. My Department will continue to work closely with the colleges and the Confucius Institutes to support and progress this initiative, to the extent that the funding from the Confucius Institutes will allow.

The Government is prioritising an agenda of curriculum reform in science and maths and improving innovation capacity in second level schools. The funds currently available in this difficult budgetary context do not allow for the inclusion of additional languages in the curriculum at present. However, I will keep the matter under review.