School Curriculum

Tuesday, 13 June 2023

Questions (564)

Mairéad Farrell

Question:

564. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Education if there are plans to add Korean as a curricular language for the Leaving Certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27865/23]

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Written answers

Minister for Education

I can advise the Deputy that there are no plans at present to introduce Korean or any other foreign language to the Leaving Certificate Curriculum.

Languages Connect – Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017 – 2026 aims to increase and diversify the range of languages taught and learned. Much progress has already been made including the introduction of four new leaving certificate curricular languages from 2020 – Lithuanian, Mandarin Chinese, Polish and Portuguese. These were examined for the first time in 2022 and circa. 1,500 students sat a leaving certificate examination in one of the four new languages. This brings the number of leaving certificate curricular languages up to 11. Students can also opt to be examined in a non-curricular EU language in accordance with Article 149 of the Nice Treaty.

As the Deputy will appreciate, it takes time to introduce and embed languages (development of specifications and resources, teacher training, building student interest and matching with teacher supply). It would be too soon to consider introducing another language at this time.

I wish to advise the Deputy however that I understand that, Korean is a popular Transition Year (TY) module, offered in seven schools in Dublin and Wicklow including 408 students. Post Primary Languages Ireland (PLI), which is fully funded by the Department to implement a range of actions under our foreign languages strategy (Languages Connect), supports Korean teaching and the TY modules with CPD, training and mentoring sessions and works with the Korean Embassy to promote the Korean language and culture education in post-primary schools and beyond. TY Korean – PPLI. it is hoped that such TY modules will build interest in learning the Korean language over time.