Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 November 2013
275. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has considered the findings of the Chief Inspector's Report 2010-2012; and the steps he intends to take arising from the findings with particular reference to improving the quality of teaching and the quality of learning of the Irish language at post-primary level. [50836/13]
View answerThe Chief Inspector's Report 2010-2012 highlights the need for ongoing support for the teaching and learning of Irish in post-primary schools. My Department has already put a range of support measures in place, particularly in relation to curriculum, assessment and teacher education, as part of its ongoing implementation of the 20 Year Strategy for Irish. The Teaching Council has been asked to work with teacher education institutions to raise standards among Irish teachers. Work has commenced on the development of a new specification for Irish at Junior Cycle. This specification will clarify the learning outcomes to be achieved by students and place an increased emphasis on the development of oral language skills.
Since June 2012, the weighting for oral Irish proficiency in the Leaving Certificate was increased from 25% to 40%. The impact of this change is being reviewed and the findings will be available in 2014. An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) has been co-located with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) so that the development of curricula and support materials for Irish can take place in a closely co-ordinated way. My Department will continue to review the effectiveness of these measures among others in light of the findings of the Chief Inspector's report.
