On Monday, 4 December, the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, T.D. launched the Irish government’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017-2026. The Strategy aims to make Ireland’s education system the best in Europe within a decade, and the teaching of Chinese in our high schools is a major part of it.
In an ever changing global environment, Ireland is preparing for the challenges that lie ahead. Ireland is also preparing for a changed European environment. Once the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, Ireland will be the largest English speaking country in both the Eurozone and the EU.
These challenges also provide opportunities. The teaching of the Irish language in our schools means our children are exposed to bilingualism from a young age. Our position as a small, open economy at the centre of the global economy, also puts us in a unique position. This strategy will allow us to maximise our assets and ensure that our education and training service is well equipped to respond to a changing global environment.
The introduction of the Chinese language as an option for the leaving certificate [Ireland’s Gao Kao equivalent] is a major part of the Strategy. Chinese will be taught at leaving certificate level from 2020 and examined in 2022.
‘If we want to have the best education and training service in Europe by 2026, we must make the teaching and learning of foreign languages a key priority. Brexit and the increasing importance of non-English speaking countries globally, mean that English-speaking countries
such as our own, will need to put a new found importance on foreign languages in order to excel in the modern world.
“As well as the obvious economic advantages, the teaching and learning of foreign languages also has significant cultural and social importance. There are few more effective ways to understand and embrace another culture than by learning their language.'
From:Embassy of Ireland in Beijing
