Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 October 2012
180. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an audit has taken place on a number of pupils, in the primary sector, who posses the ability to speak a foreign language; if so, if he will provide the results in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41838/12]
View answerThe Department of Education and Skills does not collate data on the number of pupils at primary level who are able to speak a foreign language. At primary level, the Department's policy in relation to languages, as detailed in the Government's National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (2011), is that pupils will learn two languages, English and Irish. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is currently developing an integrated language curriculum for primary schools in the context of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. While the focus of this curriculum will be on English and Irish, the integrated approach should help children to transfer skills acquired in one language to other languages and so establish a sound foundation for the learning of a foreign language in post-primary school. An integrated language curriculum would enable teachers to achieve learning efficiencies by explicitly drawing children's attention to similarities and differences between their languages.
