Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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175. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the allocation made to the modern languages in primary schools programme in the last year of its existence. [27528/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative (MLPSI) was introduced in September 1998. It involved the introduction of Italian, Spanish, German and French for 5th and 6th classes. The MLPSI was a pilot scheme across 550 schools with an annual budget of approximately €2.5m.

A 2008 Report by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment recommended against a further expansion of the MLPSI, citing issues of curriculum overload and difficulties relating to the replicability of the model across the system. The ultimate decision to end the MLPSI was taken in the context of a very challenging budgetary environment where difficult decisions had to be taken.

Consideration will be given to the issue of language learning at primary level in the context of the review of the time and structure of the primary curriculum currently being carried out by the NCCA. The priority at primary level is to provide high-quality language learning in our two languages, Irish and English. A new Primary Language Curriculum, incorporating Irish and English, was introduced in classes from Junior Infants to 2nd class from September 2016. This curriculum aims to ensure that students acquire transferrable language skills which will assist them in learning Irish and English and additional languages at second level.  Work is currently underway in developing the Primary Language Curriculum for third to sixth class, with a draft curriculum being available on the NCCA’s website.

Last December, my Department published Languages Connect – Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017-2026. As part of the Strategy, content language integrated learning (CLIL) will be progressively introduced for Irish in English medium schools. Additionally, the presence of heritage languages in our primary schools will be acknowledged in the implementation of the Primary Language Curriculum.