The development of oral language skills has a central place in our existing curricula for primary and post-primary schools. This is reflected in the 40% of marks allocated to the oral component of Leaving Certificate Irish and the increased uptake of oral Irish in the current Junior Certificate exam.
The NCCA is currently conducting an in-depth analysis of the outcomes of a wide consultation with stakeholders on the draft specification for the new Junior Cycle Irish curriculum. The consultation process has been very informative but there is a need to further explore how the curriculum can best meet the needs of students in both English medium and Irish medium schools. In this context, the NCCA is organising a further consultation event tomorrow, 7th October.
I look forward to the outcomes of this comprehensive consultation and to the implementation of the revised Junior Cycle Irish curriculum commencing in September 2017.