Ireland:THE LANGUAGE EDUCATION POLICY PROFILE

[Harold Schiffman]

21 February, 2008 - THE LANGUAGE EDUCATION POLICY PROFILE, IRELAND

The Department of Education and Science and the Language Policy
Division of the Council of Europe have jointly published a Language
Education Policy Profile for Ireland. The Profile is the result of a
process of reflection by the Department on its language education
policies, facilitated by a Council of Europe expert group led by
Professor Daniel Coste, Emeritus Professor of the École Normale
Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines. Commenting on the report the
Minister for Education and Science, Mary HanafinTD said "I welcome
this thorough analysis of the role of languages in education and in
Irish society generally. The signposts for future directions outlined
in The Language Education Policy Profile will be of great assistance
in planning for the future."

The Language Education Policy Profile was published simultaneously in
Strasbourg and in Dublin. The Profile presents an analysis of the
current state of language education in primary and second-level
education in Ireland and outlines a range of policy principles and
action priorities for the future. The Minister said, "In a changing
Ireland, language policy and provision are important factors in
promoting social inclusion and cohesion. The Council of Europe expert
group recommends that language policy is not just a matter for the
education system. It requires more than the initiative and action of
one government department."

According to the Council of Europe expert group, the main challenge
for Ireland in terms of vision for the future is to move from an
official but restricted bilingualism (English/Irish) to become a truly
multilingual society, where the ability to learn and use two or more
languages is taken for granted, and is fostered at every stage of the
education system and through lifelong learning. Languages are not a
special skill for "linguists", according to the Profile. They are for
everybody. The aim of language education is to enable every learner to
develop his or her own personal repertoire of language skills,
according to the individual's needs and interests. Most of all, it is
necessary develop in society at large the conviction that "English is
not enough". While Irish and English will always maintain their
central role in Irish society and education, other languages are part
of Ireland's cultural, social and economic resources, and must find an
appropriate place in the education system.

The Minister said that this report would be considered in future
policy formulation in relation to language education.

The full report is available on the Department of Education and
Science website at
http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/language_education_policy_profile.pdf"

http://www.ndlr.ie/modlang/blog/?p=234


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