Annual Report 2024 - Flipbook - Page 93
The strategy advocates the development of Asian languages and additional targeted
measures will be required for this. Teacher education pathways for the more recently added
Leaving Certificate languages need to be developed. Implementation and development of
Asian languages in post-primary currently relies on ‘accidental’ capacity e.g., internationally
qualified teachers who have come to live in Ireland, or Irish teachers who lived in China or
Japan and made a particular effort to acquire the language. The ‘stay-back visa’ for non-EEA
graduate students has also provided some temporary capacity but much time is spent on
induction, training and mentoring, and longer-term sustainability is a challenge.
The ‘Say Yes to Languages’ module is a good opportunity to prepare the ground for the
introduction of foreign languages in the primary curriculum and provides an opportunity
for all pupils to appreciate the value of maintaining additional home languages and
learning other languages which will result in increased uptake of foreign languages in
post-primary if implementation is done well. In advance of the implementation of the new
curriculum, ‘Say Yes to Languages’ will continue to be used to support the raising of
awareness among pupils of the range of languages used by their peers, and to encourage
uptake of a foreign language in post-primary. PPLI will continue to develop and facilitate
language upskilling opportunities to equip in-service teachers with delivering the new
MFL specification and further resources will also be developed to support teachers with
implementation of the new curriculum.
- PPLI ANNUAL REPORT 2024 -
93
