16 Aib 2013, 17:11
The Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection will tomorrow consider multilingualism in an EU context with officials from the Department of Education and Skills. The officials are expected to outline the provision for languages that currently exist across the Irish education system.
16 April 2013
Committee Chair Joanna Tuffy TD says: “The Barcelona European Council in 2002 identified language competences as an essential component of a competitive, knowledge-based economy. Tomorrow we will hear from Department Officials on the current status in the provision of languages in primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
“Our Committee will wish to engage with officials on what efforts can be made to bolster language acquisition in Ireland. A 2012 European Commission report highlighted that just 4 per cent of Irish primary level student learn a foreign language, compared with 100 per cent of their Austrian counterparts. With strong demand among employers for multilingual graduates particularly in export-oriented sectors that are so important for national economic recovery, our Committee will also be interested in exploring how the level of fall-off in language learning when students enter third level education might be curbed.”
The meeting takes place tomorrow 17 April at 1pm in Committee Room 3. Committee proceedings can be followed live here.
Ends
For further information please contact:
Paul Hand,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
F: +3531 618 4551
paul.hand@oireachtas.ie
Committee Membership
Deputies:
James Bannon, Fine Gael
Ray Butler, Fine Gael
Joan Collins, People Before Profit
Clare Daly, Independent
Brendan Griffin, Fine Gael
Simon Harris, Fine Gael
Charlie McConalogue, Fianna Fáil
Nicky McFadden, Fine Gael
Jonathan O'Brien, Sinn Féin
Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Fine Gael
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Labour Party (Vice Chair)
Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Sinn Féin
Willie O’Dea, Fianna Fáil
Brendan Ryan, Labour Party
Joanna Tuffy, Labour Party (Chair)
Senators:
Jim D’Arcy
Fidelma Healy Eames
Marie Moloney
Averil Power
Diarmuid Wilson