Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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167. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the status of the oral junior certificate curriculum; and the changes being proposed and implemented. [22872/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I am taking it that the Deputy is referring to the junior cycle curriculum for Irish.

With effect from September 2017, junior cycle provision for Irish in post-primary schools and settings will comprise two new specifications (syllabuses). The L1 (Language 1, in Irish, Teanga 1) specification is targeted at students in Irish-medium schools and students in English-medium schools who learn one or more subjects (apart from Irish) through the medium of Irish. The L2 (Language 2, Teanga 2) specification is targeted at other students in English-medium schools.

The new Junior Cycle specifications for Irish (both L1 and L2) have a strong emphasis on oral language. This is particularly highlighted in the main strand of the specifications – Communicative Competence. This strand places an enhanced emphasis on Irish as the language of learning and communication in classrooms as well as an emphasis on the skills required to communicate effectively with other users of the language. Communication, opportunities for use and interaction are central to classroom tasks.

A different type of assessment methodology for oral language skills (and other skills) will be used in the new Junior Cycle Irish specification. Up to now, there was anoptionaloral language test, taken by a minority of students, and generally assessed by their teachers as part of the old Junior Certificate examination. Now, as part of the new Junior Cycle Irish specifications, the oral language skills of all studentswill be formally assessed. This will be done by means of two Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs) which will be reported by schools to parents at the end of third year in the Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA).

Under the Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022 published by my Department, schools in the Gaeltacht are being invited to seek recognition as a Gaeltacht school in accordance with language-based criteria. To achieve Gaeltacht school recognition, schools will have the opportunity to work towards educational provision entirely through the medium of Irish (apart from the English and other language curricula) over the timeline of this five-year Policy. One of the language criteria for second-level schools includes a requirement to implement the L1 Irish specifications at junior cycle and encourage their uptake by students, particularly native speakers of Irish. The implementation of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education in schools will begin on a phased basis from September 2017.