Irish Minister for Education and Science mentions Learnosity Project

I welcome the fact that the NCCA is adopting an innovative and pragmatic approach to leading and supporting change in these difficult times and I look forward to working with you to ensure that we can progress these important developments as soon as resources allow.

With regard to Irish, I’m aware that some concerns have been expressed about a 40 per cent weighting for oral assessment especially in the context of an optional oral exam at junior cycle.

However, the Government’s overriding objective is that Irish will survive and grow as a living community language spoken every day.

While a communicative approach has long been espoused in educational approaches to Irish, we’ve not succeeded in ensuring that the vast majority of our students leave school fluent in the language and capable of spontaneous discussion on everyday issues.

It’s perhaps another example where an emphasis on rote learning has had a negative impact on confidence and competence.

The increase in marks for oral assessment reflects the objectives set out in the Government Statement on the Irish Language and it’s designed to promote a significant shift in emphasis towards Irish as a spoken language where students are encouraged to communicate and interact in a spontaneous way and where Irish is spoken every day in schools.

There are no plans to depart from the policy.

The desirability of an oral assessment at junior cycle is accepted but the model in place at Leaving Certificate is not replicable due to issues of examiner supply and school disruption.

The NCCA work on the FÓN project testing mobile phone and information communications technology approaches to language learning, including assessment in an exam context, will help to inform how this issue might be addressed in the longer term.

Irish Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe, 17th June 2009