Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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83. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to incorporate Irish Sign Language into the national curriculum, particularly at the Junior and Leaving Certificate levels (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24570/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that currently there are four modules on Irish Sign Language (ISL) available as part of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme. This course introduces students to ISL and aims to develop their expressive and receptive communication skills and also develops awareness and appreciation of the Irish deaf community and its culture.

The Department wishes to build on this provision and ensure that ISL is provided for throughout the curriculum at Primary and Post-Primary level. Action 5.3.9 ‘Develop a curriculum at primary and post-primary level for Irish Sign Language to support the learning of ISL and learning in other areas for ISL users’ is included in the Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy published in May 2024.

Since publication of the strategy, the National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NCCA) was requested to begin work on the development of a curriculum in ISL. This direction reflects the commitment to ensuring that there is a standard ISL pathway for learners, both as a first language and as an additional language, and a possibility of a qualification in ISL for students which can be used to access third level education.

The NCCA has undertaken research to gain insight into curricula for sign language across a range of education systems internationally. This includes initial research to identify jurisdictions that offer sign language as a (mainstream) curricular language, and at what phases of education (early childhood, primary, and/or lower and upper secondary) sign language is offered.

As is the case with other curricula, curriculum development will involve scoping the work, establishing a development group, widespread consultation with stakeholders and especially with ISL users. The development of a curriculum will always take a number of years, and it is expected that will be the case here for both the ISL curriculum and the examinations as it will be a signed language curriculum across both primary and post-primary, which will require a unique approach. The NCCA has recruited some staff with ISL expertise and initial work is underway.

The Department is anxious to accommodate students who use ISL as a first language as best it can. Leaving Certificate (Established) students who use ISL as their first language have been offered the opportunity by the State Examinations Commission and the Department to undertake the ISL modules from the Leaving Certificate Applied and obtain an integrated set of Leaving Certificate results which will reflect their achievement in ISL alongside their Leaving Certificate results.