AQW 11594/22-27

Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 09/05/2024
Answered On Date: 16/05/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education whether he has any plans to restore the Primary Modern Languages Programme.

Answer:

The decision to end the Primary Modern Languages Programme (PMLP) was taken in March 2015 by the then Education Minister, John O’Dowd MLA. This decision was taken to protect frontline education services. The current financial situation would prove prohibitive in bringing forward a similar initiative at this time. However, the Northern Ireland curriculum offers flexibility for primary schools to provide pupils with the opportunity to learn additional languages either during core teaching hours or as part of their extracurricular provision.

There have been numerous reports on the modern languages curriculum and qualifications in Northern Ireland over the last decade and more. These have identified issues which have led to a steady decline in the number of pupils studying modern languages in Northern Ireland at key stage 4 and post-16. This decline is mirrored across the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries around the world. Stakeholders generally agree on the main reasons for this decline, such as the promotion of STEM subjects, the perception of the difficulty of languages, and the lack of understanding of the multiple cognitive benefits of learning another language.

Modern languages have been identified as a priority area for development within the Northern Ireland Curriculum. My officials continue to liaise with counterparts across the Untitled Kingdon and with the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) to consider how best to support languages and guide the Department’s focus to encourage the development of language skills. As part of these ongoing discussions, CCEA has recently provided updated proposals to enhance and strengthen the Modern Languages Strategy moving forward. These proposals, recognise that a cross-phase approach is needed to address the decline in the uptake of modern languages. My Department will consider these proposals in light of the current restrictive budgetary situation.