Professor Maeve Conrick UCD The Future of Languages in Ireland

1. Professor Maeve ConrickUCDThe Future of Languages in Ireland German Teachers’ conference 19 November 2011

2. Outline • Introduction • Language policy and demographics • Language policy and languages in Ireland • RIA National Languages Strategy • Conclusion

3. Language policy and demographics ‘The question will act as an important measure of integration; it will provide data on who speaks a language other than English or Irish at home and this will be analysed against other factors that indicate broader participation in society (at work, in education etc.).  It will also provide information on how well English is spoken by people who have a language other than English as their mother tongue. The information will be available for all age groups including school children and can be used to target state resources in areas such as education and health to support people who may struggle speaking English.’ (CSO, 2011 Census Form)

4. Language policy and languages • Language policy and languages • Acquisition planning for immigrants • Language policy in education • B. Developing a national policyon languages in Ireland • Current status and trends • languages provision at primary and secondary level • teacher education • Challenges and Opportunities

5. Language policy and languages • Acquisition planning for immigrants • Language policy in education

6. Developing a national policyon languages • Current status and trends • languages provision at primary and secondary levels • teacher education • Challenges and Opportunities

7. Council of Europe 2008 ‘Compared with other countries where Language Education Policy Profiles have been prepared, Ireland has already produced a significant number of studies and reports, either descriptive or position papers’ (Council of Europe 2008, Section 2.1).

8. Council of Europe 2008 (cont.) If the key advice to the national authorities could be summed up in one recommendation, it would be to examine the feasibility of an integrated, coherent, language in education policy (Council of Europe 2008, Section 3.3).

9. RIA National Languages Strategy: Aims • to provide an overview of the position of languages in education in Ireland today • to outline the challenges facing Ireland in its development as a multilingual society, particularly in relation to education, and • to make recommendations in relation to language education and more broadly, which seek to meet these challenges and enhance Ireland’s position within an increasingly multilingual global economy. (RIA 2011: 1)

10. British Academy ‘The UK’s social and economic future relies on our ability to compete on the international stage. It is not coincidental that within months of entering office the coalition government has organised very large and high profile teams led by the Prime Minister to visit India and China. Within the European context too, our neighbours are important trading partners yet we are rapidly becoming a nation of monolinguals.’ (cont.)

11. British Academy ‘With an increasing number of companies having international dealings, mobility and language skills are being viewed as vital by employers. The proficiency that graduates with language and international experience bring goes beyond just the acquisition of a single language, demonstrating in addition initiative, motivation, independence and an ability to engage with those who have different backgrounds and experience’ (British Academy Policy Centre, 2011: 5).

12. EU linguistic profile ‘The EU now has 500 million citizens, 27 Member States, 3 alphabets and 23 EU official languages, some of them with a worldwide coverage. Some 60 other languages are also part of the EU heritage and are spoken in specific regions or by specific groups. In addition, immigrants have brought a wide range of languages with them: it is estimated that at least 175 nationalities are now present within the EU’s borders.’ (European Commission 2008: 4).

14. Challenges and Opportunities ‘the main challenge for Ireland…is to become a truly multilingual society, where the ability to learn and use two or more languages is taken for granted and fostered at every stage of the education system and through lifelong education’ (Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation 2010: 32)

15. Languages for jobs ‘The working group has drawn up this report as a response to the main challenges associated with the provision of language skills for the labour market. It constitutes an appeal to sharpen the focus on employment-related aspects of language learning. The aim is to provide input for the current discussions at national and European levels on modernising education systems and quality assurance built on learning outcomes.’ (2011:4)

16. Languages for jobs The main challenge is for language teaching to become learner-focused, better geared to professional contexts and the needs of the jobs market. This, in turn, will improve learner motivation and the successful taking up and use of available opportunities. This will be to the benefit not only of learners but also those seeking to employ people who are well-trained and properly qualified to assume their professional responsibilities. (2011: 4)

17. Comments: IBEC ‘Over 75% of the world’s population do not speak English and only 9 per cent speak English as their first language. If we neglect to ensure adequate availability of foreign language skills in Ireland, the opportunities of the global market will not be realised.’ (Tony Donohue, IBEC, as quoted in The Irish Times)

18. Comments: Enterprise Ireland ‘The lack of people with German language skills in our exporting companies is a major contributing factor to why we have never managed to fully exploit the opportunity the market affords.’ (Deirdre McPartlin, Enterprise Ireland, as quoted in The Irish Times)

19. RIA National Languages Strategy • Recommendations: • General ‘Languages–in-Education’ recommendations • Primary level • Post-primary level • Third level • Broader national level

20. General ‘Languages–in-Education’ recommendations • THAT modern languages continue to be taught with an emphasis on cultural, as distinct from purely linguistic, awareness. Sociocultural awareness needs to be seen and understood as an integral part of language education.

21. General ‘Languages–in-Education’ recommendations • THAT mother-tongue support and English-language support be reinstated as standard, for children of newcomers to Ireland in particular. 

22. Primary level • THAT the Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative be integrated into the mainstream curriculum […] rather than being limited to extra-curricular time and to a portion of schools. […] these subjects must not only continue to be taught as academic subjects in B.Ed. degrees but also be seen as central components of the B.Ed. degree.

23. Post-primary level • THAT advanced proficiency in a third language be made a universal requirement in order to integrate plurilingualism into the curriculum.

24. Post-primary level • THAT formal external assessment of oral proficiency be made compulsory for modern languages at Junior Certificate level, in order to improve communicative competence in languages at junior cycle.

25. Third level • THAT modern languages be treated as a priority subject at third level, in the context of the development of a global society. […] This is an urgent issue if the erosion of language capacity in Ireland is to be prevented.

26. Third Level • THAT each institution of higher education be formally requested to produce an internal policy on languages where such a policy is not already in place.

27. Third level • THAT third-level institutions be encouraged to equip all of their students with strong language skills and intercultural knowledge […] they should also be encouraged to exploit the capacity for, and to build space into, programmes for students to pursue language subjects which, while possibly outside their specialist fields, may well be of interest due to their educational, social, personal and economic value.

28. Broader national level • THAT a Language Advisory Board be established, whose role would be to advise on policy initiatives and development. Board membership should include not only language specialists at all levels of the Irish educational system, but also representatives from organisations such as Enterprise Ireland, NCCA, and government departments.

29. Broader national level • THAT resources be allocated for national-level high-quality research with a view to establishing a precise, accurate and more systematic picture of the overall linguistic landscape and profiles of the needs of, for example, exporting SMEs.

30. Broader national level • THAT a number of key Irish public figures (from politics, sport, business, entertainment) with multilingual skills be identified as ‘language ambassadors’ who could be used to showcase the benefits of plurilingualism for Irish people.