John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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767. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary schools nationwide participating in the module say yes to languages, in the school year 2024-2025; if she will detail cumulatively the languages offered in each school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18702/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, Languages Connect, Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017 – 2026, aims to increase and diversify the teaching and learning of foreign languages. As part of this strategy, the Say Yes to Languages (SYTL) programme was introduced in 2021/22 in advance of the redevelopment of the Primary Language Curriculum to include foreign languages for 3rd to 6th class on a phased basis from September 2025.

2024/25 was the fourth year of the SYTL programme which was offered over a ten-week period with one hour per week teaching and learning. Schools select the language to be offered based on their resources and demographic.

In 2024/25, some 1,332 primary schools participated in the Say Yes to Languages programme. The languages offered in 2024/25 are:

Details on participating schools is available here:

The 2025/26 school year will mark the beginning of the second phase of SYTL, which focuses on preparing for the integration of modern foreign languages into the newly redeveloped Primary Language Curriculum. This phase will include more professional development opportunities for teachers to upskill in foreign languages, as well as grants to support the employment of visiting teachers or tutors in the short term.

Schools have now been invited to apply to participate in SYTL for the 2025/26 school year under Circular 0031/2025. In 2025/26, SYTL will be available to pupils in 5th and 6th class to maximise its reach. Participating schools will be eligible to receive a grant of €500 per classroom, up to a maximum of €1,000 per school, from the Department of Education.

Over the past four years of SYTL, participating schools have introduced a variety of languages, including Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, ISL, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Tamil, and Ukrainian.

SYTL is administered by Post Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) on behalf of the Department of Education. A dedicated section on the Languages Connect website hosts all relevant content for the module, including teaching and learning resources available in both English and Irish. PPLI also offers training sessions and information events for teachers and school representatives.

For further details and application forms, please visit consult and the dedicated page on the Languages Connect website.