[lg policy] Ireland; FG's policy of optional Irish LC will lead to extinction of language

[Harold Schiffman]

FG's policy of optional Irish LC will lead to extinction of language-
Micheál Martin
Enda Kenny ' s plan for teaching of Irish would lead to the extinction
of the langauge - Martin
7/2/11

"Enda Kenny's plan to abolish the teaching of the Irish language as a
core subject for the Leaving Certificate would lead to the extinction
of the language, according to Fianna Fáil leader Mícheál Martin.

‘Irish belongs to us all and the Irish people have never had a more
favourable attitude to the revival of the language. We need to
continue to reform the way Irish is taught and promoted but
downgrading the status of the language in our education system would
lead to the extinction of our language. Enda Kenny should look at the
evidence as to what has happened elsewhere when the study of languages
was made optional. He should listen to the experts in this area and to
those members of his own party who obviously recognize how misguided
this approach is.

Our Twenty Year Strategy for Irish is the most radical and
comprehensive plan for the promotion of the language since the
foundation of the State. It was drawn up in consultation with
stakeholders and national and international experts in language
planning. The Strategy is a road map for the development of the
language over the next twenty years and sets out a range of new
measures - including many concerning how Irish is taught - to increase
the number of daily speakers of Irish to 250,000 by 2030.

Fine Gael have given their support to this strategy but that support
is now irrelevant given Enda Kenny’s pledge on RTÉ Raidio na
Gaeltachta this morning to abolish the teaching of Irish as a core
subject for the Leaving Cert. Making Irish optional is not an option
as far as I am concerned. It would lead not the revival of Irish by
2030 but to its extinction."

____

Glad to see that the debate is still going on five years after Fine
Gael came out with their policy. The question seems to be more of an
issue in this election for the Irish language organisations and some
(a lot?) of Irish speakers generally than it was in 2007 it seems to
me presumably because it is almost certain that Fine Gael will be the
biggest party in Government after the election. I could be wrong but
that is just an observation I have. It is significant though that Guth
na Gaeltachta are against the FG policy for those interested in the
debate. A couple of FG's spokespeople have since said though that they
will carry out an extensive consultation before deciding to make it
optional so it may not become optional. Indeed Labour are against the
policy they reconfirmed recently. I think Ruairí Quinn their Education
Spokesperson and I am sure a lot of other members of the party
generally are in favour of it being optional so if the next cabinet
were to vote on it it may be made optional. Or would all the Labour
members in Government abide by their party's policy on the issue if
their was a vote on it? Would they feel bound to support the policy?

I know the rationale of the views people have why it should stay
required as I thought that it should still stay required for the
Leaving Cert before changing my mind, more than once. So I am
ambiguous on the matter really. I don't think that it is the most
important question for the Irish language community and the Irish
language movement- I think the gaelscoileanna movement and its growth
or lack of is.

I don't think that making Irish optional for the Leaving Cert will
lead to the extinction of the language and think that Micheál Martin
is being very defeatist in saying this. What if it is made optional
next year? Is this the defeatist view that Micheál Martin (probably
the leader of the opposition) is going to have?

http://www.politics.ie/fianna-fail/151239-fine-gaels-policy-optional-irish-lc-will-lead-extinction-language-micheal-martin.html

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