asked the Minister for Education the number of hours which are devoted to (1) modern continental languages, (2) English and (3) Irish in the second-level school system, as an average per class per week.
Written Answers. - Teaching of Languages.
139.
The allocation of time to subjects in second level schools is a matter for the school authorities. In practice, however, in so far as the courses being followed for my Department's certificate examinations in Irish, English and modern continental languages are concerned, the normal allocation is one class period per day. The class period may be of 40 or 45 minutes duration. This gives between 3? and 3¾ hours weekly to each of these subjects.