Annual Report 2023 Entire Book - Flipbook - Page 163
Lithuanian
A thousand bilingual Lithuanian-English leaflets were delivered to the Lithuanian Embassy and distributed to
their citizens to encourage uptake of Lithuanian at Leaving Certificate level. The Lithuanian Embassy
supported the sharing of information in relation to the PPLI-run information sessions for parents and
students, and Lithuanian Saturday classes via their social media and other channels. The Lithuanian
Ambassador also took part in one of the information sessions, held in March 2023. With the support of the
embassy, 60 participants attended, which was a significant increase on previous years.
Polish
The Polish Embassy shared information with their citizens via their channels, including social media, in
relation to the information sessions for parents and students. In April 2023, the Polish Consul also took part in
an information session. PPLI representatives attended a variety of events hosted by the Polish Embassy to
raise awareness of PPLI activities and to understand better the context for Polish in Ireland.
Spanish
PPLI continued to support the Department of Education in implementing the pilot programme to facilitate the
employment of Visiting Spanish Teachers in Ireland. This is based on a Memorandum of Understanding between
the Department of Education in Ireland and the Ministry of Education and Culture of Spain. The programme is
designed to supply more teachers to Irish schools to increase access to language learning and expand
opportunities to develop intercultural skills and relationships which may encourage more school exchanges in
the future. In collaboration with the Consejería de Educación de la Embajada de España en Dublin, La Junta de
Castilla y León, and the Spanish Tourist Office in Dublin, PPLI ran a video competition again for fifth year
students of Spanish. Entrants were tasked with producing a video in Spanish illustrating an itinerary for “A
weekend in Castilla y León. Cork Educate Together Secondary School won first place which was a one-week
language course scholarship including flights and accommodation in Castilla y León. Runners up were Our
Lady’s Bower, Athlone and Chanel College, Dublin who also won a scholarship. All three teams were invited by
Spanish Ambassador, Ion de la Riva, to a special reception at the Spanish embassy to receive their awards.
In 2023, PPLI also supported:
Culture Night
Culture Night 2023 was supported by a range of cultural institutes who sourced teachers for events held on
the night. Feedback from the event was very positive.
English Language Assistant Scheme
PPLI worked with embassies and cultural institutes to support promotion of the English Language Assistant
Scheme. PPLI also conducted research amongst past participants to better understand the impact of
participating in the scheme; feedback received from past participants was very positive.
In total, following engagement with the sending agencies, 78 responses were received. ELAs who had worked
in each of the receiving countries, except Belgium, engaged with the survey.
The data provided information on how participation impacted the linguistic competence of former English
Language Assistants, ascertained participant interest in working in teaching, and identified candidates who
may be able to assist in promoting the scheme.
Some highlights from the data:
•
All had studied languages at Leaving Certificate level and 91% had studied languages at third level.
•
46% of the respondents worked in France and almost a further 45% worked in Austria and Germany.
Smaller numbers had worked in either Italy or Spain.
- PPLI ANNUAL REPORT 2023 -
163
