Vol. 439 No. 2
162 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for Education if she has satisfied herself that candidates obtaining A grade in French in the leaving certificate examination are as fluent and proficient in every aspect, that is both orally and written, of the French language including literature, grammar and other such aspects, as those obtaining A grade in Irish; and her views on the relative standard, length and content of both courses for the leaving certificate.
163 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for Education, having regard to the fact that Irish is, in general, taught from a much earlier stage in the school curriculum than are foreign languages, the factors, if any, to which she attributes the higher percentage of A grades in the leaving certificate in foreign languages than for Irish; having regard to A grades in Irish, the number of native Irish speakers; the number of students attending Gaelscoileanna and scoileanna Gaeltachta.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 162 and 163 together. Senior cycle provides students with a degree of choice as regards the subjects they study and the level at which they study them. The choice students make is generally informed by their expectations and aspirations. European continental languages are perceived by students to be very important in the area of career choice and to enhance employment prospects. German and French enjoy an economic prestige that attracts Irish students. The kind of motivation that this attraction creates is not replicated in the case of Irish which is not normally associated with economic utility.
The special position of Irish as a national language and a vehicle for much of what is distinctive in our culture is, of necessity, reflected in the course objectives and structures as well as in the assessment criteria that apply at leaving certificate level.
The grades awarded reflect candidates' performance in relation to those objectives and criteria. The number of native speakers of Irish is too small a percentage of the leaving certificate cohort to have a significant effect on the overall result. Many of the primary Gaelscoileanna were formed in recent years and their past pupils have not yet sat the leaving certificate.
Continental languages are taught nowadays with a strongly functional bias to equip young people with the linguistic skills to interact with native speakers of the languages and to survive in the natural environment of those languages. This functional approach is reflected in the certificate examination in modern languages.
It is appropriate therefore in the case of French, German, Spanish and Italian that a set of course objectives and examination criteria should apply that differ substantially from those of Irish. Naturally a different outcome in terms of results must be expected.
