Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Question 274: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the many scientific publications which show that learning another language significantly helps improve literacy in one's own mother tongue; if his further attention has been drawn to the fact that one and sometimes even two foreign languages are taught at primary school level in most other countries which performed better than Ireland in recent surveys on literacy proficiencies; and, if so, whether in view of this he will accept to reconsider his decision to abolish the modern languages in primary school initiative and thus avoid making Ireland fall behind all the other EU member states in terms of foreign language competence with all the negative economic implications that this would have; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17742/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative has been a pilot scheme involving approximately 550 schools that has operated since 1998.

The decision to end the scheme took account of a 2008 Report by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). The report identified serious issues with curricular overload at primary level.

The NCCA's advice recommended for the present modern languages should not be part of the Primary School Curriculum as an additional and separate subject. The advice in relation to curriculum overload predated the wake up call on literacy and numeracy triggered by the PISA results. I am taking that advice on board and with particular regard to the demands on time in school that will result from a heightened focus on literacy and numeracy.

The primary curriculum is currently being reviewed by the NCCA in the context of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. The €2.5 million in savings from this measure will go towards the cost of implementing the new National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. The 17% of primary schools at present in the Initiative, who have had even more time demands than others in a crowded curricular space, should as a result be better placed to deliver under the strategy.

Given the priority of literacy and numeracy I have acted on the 2008 advice about overload and could not justify either the continuation of the initiative in the existing schools or its expansion to all schools even if funding was not an issue.