Vol. 427 No. 8
14 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Education her response to the claim that 9,000 students are currently forced to study at an unsuitable level because of failure to develop suitable courses to those who completed their foundations level Irish Junior Certificate Course in 1992.
As the Deputy is aware, the Junior cycle syllabuses in all subjects have been revised in the context of the new Junior Certificate Programme which was examined for the first time in 1992. In the revised programme, provision was made for three levels of syllabuses in Irish — Higher, Ordinary and Foundation. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is currently working on the Syllabuses for the Senior Cycle, which at present has two levels of Irish Syllabus, Higher and Ordinary. In this context, particular attention is being given to the question of Irish.
I am aware that pupils who took the Foundation Level Irish for the Junior Certificate examination in 1992 may now have a difficulty in taking the Ordinary Syllabus in the Leaving Certificate Course. I would like to point out, however, that a programme exists — the Senior Certificate Course — which has an Irish component in it. It is open to pupils taking the Leaving Certificate to study Irish from the Senior Certificate Programme if they find that they are unable to pursue the Leaving Certificate Irish at Ordinary Level. I am asking the NCCA to give priority attention to the Irish syllabuses in their review of subjects for the Senior Cycle.
