Submission by the Department of Education and Skills
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection
Multilingualism
17 April 2013
Introduction
Provision for languages in the educational system is characterised by a focus on
language acquisition and transfer of language skills at primary level. Post-primary
level is characterised by a greater diversification of language learning and an
emphasis on oral language skills. There are a wide range of foreign language
programmes available to students at third level that can be taken as core subjects or in
combination with a range of other disciplines. A number of language programmes
have also been supported under the Springboard initiative, which provides free part
time higher education places for unemployed people in areas of skills need.
The EU Context
The Barcelona European Council meeting in 2002 identified language competences as
an essential component of a competitive knowledge-based economy.
Knowledge of foreign languages is a desirable life-skill for all EU citizens, enabling
them to enjoy both the economic and social benefits of free movement within the
Union. Member States and the Commission were asked to take a range of measures
to increase the learning of foreign languages in their education systems, with the goal
of increased educational and labour market mobility.
While various Council Conclusions documents from 2002 onwards have advocated
that education systems should seek to promote competence in the mother tongue plus
two foreign languages from an early age, this is not necessarily practicable in every
Member State. In Ireland, both Irish and English are national languages and both are
taught at primary and second-level. Accordingly, while the vast majority of students
in Ireland study three languages at second level, only the third language is counted in
the European indicators on foreign languages.
The Commission’s Communication “Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for
better socio-economic outcomes” (November 2012) emphasises the importance of
language learning for jobs and states
In a world of international exchanges, the ability to speak foreign languages is
a factor for competitiveness. Languages are more and more important to
increase levels of employability and mobility of young people, and poor
language skills are a major obstacle to free movement of workers. Businesses
also require the language skills needed to function in the global marketplace.
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As detailed in the accompanying Staff Working Document on Languages, the
first European Survey on Language Competences shows that, despite
investment in many countries, education systems in a number of Member
States are still not efficient enough to cope with these challenges. In France
only 14% of all pupils reach the level of an independent user of one foreign
language at the end of lower secondary education, and in the UK this is only
9%.Faster reform is needed by Member States, based on new methodologies
and technologies for teaching both the first and second foreign languages,
with a view to reaching the target defined by Heads of State of 'mother tongue
plus two'.
The Commission Staff Working Document “Language competences for
employability, mobility and growth” (November 2012) states
Language competences are a key dimension of modernising European
education systems…and raising the language competences of children, young
people and adults will foster the mobility of workers and students and improve
the employability of the European workforce.. Language competences should
be useful in real life and match, in particular, labour market needs. This
applies for national and European labour markets, and the work of EU
enterprises operating on an international scale. Poor language skills are a
serious obstacle to seizing professional opportunities abroad and in
enterprises or organisations active at international level.
In relation to key competences, the Commission’s Staff Working Paper “Assessment
of Key Competences in initial education and training: Policy Guidance” reiterates
that key competences include mother tongue and foreign languages.
The latest edition of the Eurobarometer Special Report on Europeans' foreign
language competences and attitude to foreign languages (June 2012) identifies Ireland
as among the countries where respondents showed the most notable increase in the
proportion of respondents saying that they are able to speak at least one foreign
language well enough to hold a conversation, compared to data from the previous
edition of the Eurobarometer survey (February 2006). Ireland is also identified as one
of the few countries to show a noticeable increase in the proportion of respondents
able to speak at least two foreign languages.
Nonetheless, Ireland remains among the countries where respondents to the survey
were least likely to be able to speak any foreign language: Hungary (65%), Italy
(62%), the UK and Portugal (61% in each), and Ireland (60%).
National Languages Strategy
A HEA conference on “Learning, Mobility, Language Acquisition and
Employability” was held last December and a series of wide ranging actions was
proposed in the report on proceedings (forthcoming at the time of writing). These
focus on the link between language acquisition and job opportunity. Among the
recommendations is that
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“Language acquisition should be placed at the centre of education policy and
a coherent national strategy to promote multilingualism through education
must be developed as a matter of urgency. Language learning must be
integrated into the curriculum at primary level in an organised manner to
strengthen Ireland’s language and cultural competence.
Last year a report by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (Key Skills for
Enterprise to Trade Internationally June 2012) recommended the development of a
national languages strategy with a 5 to 10 year horizon. The Royal Irish Academy’s
National Languages Strategy (August 2011) recommended that the Department of
Education and Skills develop a languages in education policy:
“in consultation with language-teaching experts at all stages of the
educational system, and on the basis of the many expert reviews produced in
recent years” a national languages strategy”
These recommendations are in accordance with the recommendation in the Language
Policy Profile for Ireland developed in consultation with the Council for Europe,
which was published in 2007. A Working Group has developed a draft languages
policy for internal submission to the Department preparatory to a wider consultation
phase.
Overall provision in the educational system
Primary Education
At primary level, the policy, as detailed in the Government's National Literacy and
Numeracy Strategy (2011), is to strengthen the development of English and Irish.
The NCCA is in the process of developing an integrated language curriculum which
will focus on the transfer of skills between both languages. It is expected that the
development of skills in this manner will establish a sound foundation for the learning
of foreign languages in post-primary schools. A recent report commissioned by the
NCCA advocates using existing tools such as the Common European Framework
of Reference for Languages and its companion, the European Language Portfolio,
as the basis for developing the new integrated language framework.
The results of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2011)
were published in December 2012. The pupils who took part were, on average, just
over 10 years old. The PIRLS report shows that in reading, Irish students were ranked
10th out of 45 participating countries. Students in only five countries performed
significantly better than Irish students: Hong Kong, Finland, Singapore, the Russian
Federation and Northern Ireland. Irish students scored significantly higher than
students in 31 other countries, including Germany, Sweden, Australia and New
Zealand. While encouraging, these results demonstrate the real need to work on the
issues we are seeking to tackle in the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy.
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Post Primary Education
Post-primary builds on the foundation established at primary level by offering not
only English and Irish but also a range of foreign languages. French German, Spanish,
Italian, Russian, Japanese and Arabic are available on the curriculum – and
examinations are also offered in a number of other non-curricular EU languages for
native language speakers from EU Member States1.
Junior Cycle
Currently, the language syllabuses at junior cycle focus on the use of language in reallife situations, and on the writing, reading and aural understanding of these languages,
as well as considerable degrees of cultural awareness.
The new Framework for Junior Cycle, announced in October 2012, will build on
the development of these competences and will reinforce language learning at Junior
Cycle quite considerably. In particular, it will support schools in fostering practical
language-learning skills.
The new junior cycle will give all students the opportunity to study at least one
language apart from Irish and English2, the intention being to build on the integrated
approach fostered in primary schools. For most students, the Framework will see them
study a modern European language as a full subject. Revision of existing language
syllabuses will begin within the next two years and modern foreign language
syllabuses are scheduled for implementation in 2016. The new syllabuses are likely to
include a significant enhancement of oral skills development, and assessment of these
skills.
Schools will also have the flexibility to offer short courses of 100 hours duration i.e.
in a second European language, including languages not currently offered in the
junior cycle curriculum, and in non-European languages, if they so choose. This could
particularly facilitate immigrant communities. The NCCA is currently developing a
short course in Chinese, which will also be available to schools from 2014. Schools
will also have opportunities to offer short courses in Japanese, Arabic and other areas
if they can access the necessary teaching expertise.
Transition Year
Transition Year provides many opportunities for engaging students with different
language experiences.
A Transition Year module in Chinese was launched last year, having already been
piloted by over twenty schools across Ireland. For many years now, Japanese has been
1
For the 2012 Leaving Certificate Examination there were 1,495 entries for 16 such European
languages.
2
One of the 24 statements of learning, which must be met for all students in all schools is that the
student reaches a level of proficiency that is appropriate to his or her ability in L2 (i.e. the student’s
second language, which is Irish for most students) and one other language in reading, writing, speaking
and listening.
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offered in a number of TY programmes, and has resulted in a follow-on uptake of
Japanese to Leaving Certificate level, which in 2012 reached 239 students.
Many schools use the flexibility of TY to foster a greater emphasis on oral skills,
organise student exchange visits or school twinning events. TY is also used to
broaden the levels of cultural, and intercultural awareness of many students, often
through formal initiatives like involvement in the European Studies Programme.
These are very important aspects of the promotion of a linguistic awareness in
students and undoubtedly benefit students as they move on to Leaving Certificate.
Senior Cycle
In 2012, over thirty thousand students sat a European language for the Leaving
Certificate, including around 26,000 in French, 6,700 in German, 4,000 in Spanish
and 700 in Polish with smaller numbers sitting with smaller numbers taking other
languages such as Italian, Japanese and Russian and Arabic.
The 12% of post-primary students of nationalities other than Irish and whose mother
tongue is unlikely to be English represent a significant resource to widen the pool of
languages available in Ireland. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) provides
examinations in a range of other EU languages which are not curricular. For the 2012
Leaving Certificate Examination, there were 1,495 entries for 16 such European
languages, the most popular being Polish, Lithuanian, Romanian and Latvian. The
fact that the vast majority of these students, and often all of them, take higher-level
papers in these subjects effectively means that up to 3% of the total cohort sitting the
Leaving Certificate have very specialised language skills, which contributes to
Ireland’s development needs.
The Post-Primary Languages Initiative
The post-primary languages initiative continues to support the diversification of
languages in schools. It is now broadening its remit to provide support for all teachers
of modern foreign languages through the provision of materials on its website. It
offers support to schools which wish to introduce Spanish, Italian and Japanese and
Russian
Japanese has been introduced into post-primary and is currently being taught in thirty
schools. Russian has been introduced into twenty schools and teaching resources
created to support the teaching and learning of both Japanese and Russian.
Supports co-ordinated by the PPLI include the production of Spanish and Italian
textbooks, the development of its website, www.languagesinitiative.ie, a pilot of
online training for language teachers on the use of ICTs and post-graduate diploma
courses in Italian and Spanish for teachers.
Other Support for Languages in Schools
Under the EU Comenius programme, primary and post primary schools may become
involved in a Comenius Partnership project. Schools in Ireland can receive funding to
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link up with schools in other European countries and may develop projects with the
aim of improving language skills.
At second level, the Department administers a Foreign Language Assistant Scheme,
and a Teacher Exchange Programme, between Ireland and a number of European
countries with a view to improving language skills.
Higher Education
Prospective students have access to a wide range of foreign language courses at third
level that can be taken as core subjects or in combination with a range of other
disciplines across business, the arts, the humanities and the sciences. Language
programmes are also an important part of Further Education provision across both full
time and part time courses. A number of language programmes have also been
selected for funding through the Springboard skills initiative which was launched in
May 2011.
The HEA is currently undertaking research to establish a comprehensive and accurate
picture of all foreign language programme provision in Irish higher education.
Preliminary data from this research indicates that some 9,000 third level students are
studying a foreign language either as a single core subject or as an accredited part of a
wide range of other undergraduate disciplines. There are also no indications of
capacity constraints in terms of language provision across the third level sector if the
demand for places on programmes increases.
The EU’s Erasmus initiative has also played a key role in enhancing the language
proficiency of Irish graduates. 28,000 Irish students have benefited from this
programme over the past 25 years. The vast majority of Irish participants
(approximately 60%) have pursued their studies abroad through the medium of a
foreign language. The most popular destination countries are France, Spain, the UK,
and Germany. Irish participation in Erasmus has risen significantly in recent years,
including an 18% increase last year – the fourth highest growth in Europe. Ireland is
now on track to meet the target of doubling the number of participants in Erasmus
during the current life-cycle of the programme (2007–2013).
The EU has set a target that, by 2020, 20% of European higher education students
should have spent a "period of higher education-related study or training (including
work placement) abroad", representing a minimum of 15 European Credit Transfer
and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits "or lasting a minimum of three months".
To support these goals, the European Commission has proposed a significant increase
in funding (approximately 70%) for the next generation of EU mobility programmes
in education training, which will take effect from 2014. If implemented (subject to
overall agreement on the Multi-annual Financial Framework) this would in principle
enable a significantly larger pool of Irish higher education students to study abroad.
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While foreign language competence has frequently been identified as a barrier for
increased participation by Irish students in Erasmus, research indicates that financial
constraints represent the most serious barrier for a majority of European students3.
The tradition and culture of study abroad is also considerably less strong in English
speaking countries such as Ireland than it is in continental Europe. In order to raise
awareness of Erasmus study abroad options, the Department has been piloting an
“Erasmus Ambassadors” programme, using Erasmus alumni to encouraging secondlevel students to consider study abroad.
Alongside initiatives such as the Farmleigh Fellowship (UCC is the Irish academic
partner), there are also a number of institutional-level programmes placing Irish
students in BRIC countries. In the absence of an Erasmus-type initiative, these tend
to be relatively small in scale.
Other Steps to Increase Supply of Language Skills
In addition to the ongoing development of language provision within the school
system and in further and higher education, there is also potential to develop quick,
targeted responses in partnership with enterprise to meet specific defined foreign
language skills needs through initiatives such as Springboard and Momentum and also
through the Skillnets networks.
International students who wish to remain in Ireland post-graduation are also a
potentially significant resource for companies who wish to recruit subject specialists
who know and understand Ireland, but who also have native language skills.
This is particularly the case for non-EU markets. Ireland currently hosts over 8,000
students in higher education from the priority markets identified by the Export Trade
Council (excluding Europe, North America and Australia). The Government has set
the target of doubling these numbers.
To take the specific example of China, around 2,700 Chinese students are currently in
higher education institutions in Ireland. About half are studying business subjects and
30% of are studying ICT or Engineering. Around 11% are PhD researchers.
Conclusion
While there is a very significant level of language provision in the education system,
it is also evident that less than a third of school leavers elect to develop their language
competences further in higher education and far fewer graduates opt to pursue careers
using their language skills.
While steps can and are being taken to develop the range and quality of language
provision from within the education system a focus on increasing the supply of
3
Increasing the Participation in the Erasmus Programme, Policy Department B: Structural and
Cohesion Policies, European Parliament, Brussels (2010)
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provision in the absence of demand from students for such programmes is not going
to address the skills gaps identified by enterprise and others. By way of example,
almost 130 new part time higher education places were made available on seven
foreign language courses under Springboard 2012. However, three of the courses
selected for funding are not now proceeding due to a lack of applications from
potential students.
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