In response, Ms Foley pointed to research carried out by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and said there has been “a significant change” in the teaching and learning of languages in general. She said she believed the new curriculum “will improve language acquisition in Irish”.
“I feel it is insulting and defies logic to say that the students’ ability will improve while the time allocated to teaching is reduced. It would be more honest to state that achievement will be reduced,” he said. “The evidence is there,” he said. “This is research that they conducted themselves. It was commissioned by the NCCA or [written by] the inspectors within the department [that] highlighted the situation again and again. How could the Minister for Education make such a statement? We know from this research and experience that a reduction in time results in a reduction in achievement.”
A recent study conducted by Sealbhú highlights a noticeable gap detected by teachers in Irish language skills among students upon entering secondary school, compared to the expected proficiency required at that stage to meet Junior Certificate specifications.