Roughly 54,000 students sat Irish language Leaving Certificate exams this week. Another 16,000 did not. Most of them were exempted because they received their primary education outside the State or have a learning difficulty. The split is roughly 50-50.
There is little doubt that some students and their parents seek exemptions for tactical reasons. A report published this week by Conradh na Gaeilge and written by a professor in Dublin City University notes that almost half of students who get an exemption from studying Irish on the basis of a learning difficulty go on to take a modern language for the Leaving Cert. In some cases, of course, they may have genuine reasons for making this choice.
The report also notes that exemptions increase as children transition from primary level to second level, rising from 2.2 per cent to 14.3 per cent. It should be borne in mind that learning difficulties are often addressed in the secondary cycle. Differentiating between students with genuine reasons for an exemption and those that are gaming the system is thus very difficult.
Either way students who do not study Irish are missing out. The language is the wellspring of Ireland’s distinctive culture, national identity and sense of self. Those not exposed to it are the poorer as a result. There are also more tangible benefits, such as access to certain job opportunities and the lifetime benefits of bilingualism.
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Parents and to a lesser extent students are aware of all this but for as long as our education system is based around high-stakes, final-year exams that dictate access to third-level education these benefits will be seen by some as secondary.
Progress in addressing the exemption issue requires a genuine attempt to help those with difficulties, or those arriving into Ireland during their school years, to learn the language. The practice in other countries such as Wales, or Finland in relation to learning Swedish, can offer valuable lessons. When changes are underway, the exemption system should then be reconsidered.
