The Minister for Education, Norma Foley, announced an extension of the “Say Yes to Languages” primary languages sampler module for a further year and invited primary schools to apply to participate in the module.
The length of the module in 2022/23 will be increased from 6 to 8 weeks. The grant to schools participating will also be increased to €400 per class up to a maximum of €1,600.
The module is aimed at 3rd to 6th classes and the school can select the language of choice depending on its demographic and school context.
The 2022/23 module could be used to support the integration of newly arrived Ukrainian pupils to our schools by acknowledging Ukrainian as one of the languages of the classroom or by choosing to teach Ukrainian for the duration of the module.
Languages selected in 21/22 included French, Spanish, ISL, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Arabic, Tamil, and Portuguese.
Minister Foley said, “I am delighted with the response of our schools to the module in 2021/22. It has been warmly and positively welcomed by over 500 schools. Over 40,000 pupils have had the opportunity to learn and have fun through a range of languages, opening doors for them to the languages used by their classmates.
“I have extended the programme to eight weeks and would like to see even more schools participating this year. Being able to speak a foreign language, and learning about other cultures is an enormous advantage to our children and young people. This programme gives them a unique opportunity to be exposed to foreign language learning at a young age.
“The module is an important aspect of our foreign languages strategy which aims to increase the number of students studying foreign languages at all levels. We want to equip our students with the skills that they will need to live in our globalised world, and foreign languages provide our students not only with skill but with broader access to and appreciation of a wide range of culture.”
The primary language sampler module can be delivered by either the class teacher in the school or by an individual identified by the school as a suitable tutor (for example, a language teacher/ foreign language assistant in a local post-primary school or a member of the community who is fluent in the chosen language, for example, a parent, who meets the scheme’s criteria).
Training for the teacher/ tutor will be provided by Post Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) which will also provide all the necessary resources and supports to the schools delivering the module. Further information on the resources are available on the Post Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) website.
Further details on the module are available in a circular.
Apply: Schools can apply to participate in the module in 2022/23 here. The closing date for receipt of completed application forms is 5pm on 11 May 2022.