A policy framework for Irish language education must take a holistic, big-picture view, setting out a coherent vision for Irish language teaching, learning and assessment at each stage of the education system and beyond.

Such a policy must ensure that any changes or developments in curriculum and assessment at a particular level or in a specific context are not piecemeal or disjointed, but that they are coherently aligned with the broader long-term vision.

A comprehensive policy for Irish in the education system must also take account of the wider sociolinguistic and legislative context in which Irish is learned, to ensure that all developments reflect and are in line with government policy and commitments, and statutory requirements regarding the Irish language, and that the policy ensures better value for money than the current system.

These policies are articulated in the following documents:

• Government Statement on the Irish Language 2006 confirms that it is the policy of the State that Irish will be taught as an obligatory subject from primary level to Leaving Certificate.
• The 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 and Action Plan which promotes a holistic, integrated approach to the Irish language, consistent with international best practice.
• Programme for Government 2020 (Our Shared Future) in which the government acknowledges the importance of the Irish language as the first language of the State, as a living language, and as a vital component of the heritage of this island and commits to adopting a whole-of-government approach to the protection and promotion of the Irish language.
• Official Languages Act 2021 (Amendment) which commits to a target of 20% of new recruits in the public sector by 2030 being competent in Irish and in English. This level of competency will be based on the CEFR.

A key aim of a comprehensive policy for Irish in the education system should be to define high-level learning targets or learning outcomes to be achieved at each stage of the education system, in order to ensure transparency, continuity and progression from each level to the next.

The Irish language proficiency standard required of teachers at each level of the education system should also be clearly defined. Use of the CEFR could facilitate this definition.

A core principle of the CEFR approach to language learning and assessment is the recognition of learners’ partial competences and uneven proficiency profiles across language skills.

A CEFR-based approach to assessment could allow learners with additional needs in relation to literacy to focus on oral communication skills in Irish and to gain recognition and certification for those skills having been provided with the appropriate technological support thus allowing them to access Irish-language learning appropriate to their own needs and abilities.

The policy should be supported by research, both existing and additional commissioned studies, on Irish language learning, assessment and attainment at various levels and in various contexts.

Curricular developments should be informed by studies such as Harris and Ó Duibhir (2011) on effective language teaching.

The policy should be developed by a small group with experience and expertise in designing and teaching Irish language specifications (including representatives from TEG, the teaching unions, An Gréasán do Mhúinteoirí Gaeilge and COGG).

As mentioned before, this expert group must take account the wider sociolinguistic and legislative context in which Irish is learned, to ensure that all developments reflect and are in line with government policy and commitments, and statutory requirements regarding the Irish language, and that the policy ensures better value for money than the current system.

It is important that appropriate supports and resources are put in place in conjunction with initial teacher education institutions to ensure that there is an adequate number of competent and qualified teachers available to teach Gaeilge as a subject and to teach other subjects through the medium of Irish in Irish-medium schools.

Strengths and weaknesses in the current system need to be addressed in the policy, including:

• The Primary Languages Curriculum was introduced in 2019 and while some revisions were welcomed, the specifications in Irish (as well as in other subjects) are vague and do not include clear standards and benchmarks for the different age groups. Standardised tests are compulsory for English and Mathematics, in English medium schools but there is no compulsory standardised test for Irish in these schools. This means that there is no national baseline information available on the standard achieved by pupils after 8 years of language learning in English medium primary schools. The availability of such information would greatly enhance assessment of the
  effectiveness of the Primary Languages Curriculum.
• The revised Junior Cycle Irish curriculum was designed to provide continuity with the revised Primary Languages Curriculum. the specifications provided by the NCCA are vague, consisting only of strands and learning outcomes. No benchmarks have been provided and there is a lack of clarity about the standards expected. Concern has been expressed in recent months about the vagueness of the specifications and the lack of alignment with the Junior Cycle examination in summer 2022. A submission made by An Gréasán earlier this year about the new Junior Cycle specifications highlighted a number of shortcomings, including the lack of an externally assessed oral Irish examination; an overemphasis on literature, learning outcomes which are too broad, too abstract and overly ambitious; and unsatisfactory and inadequate inservice for teachers.
• There is a great opportunity to build on students’ language skills during Transition Year. By aligning a transition year programme for Gaeilge with the CEFR, students could be provided with the opportunity to focus on developing particular skills at a level appropriate to their own stage on their language journey. For example, a student could focus on part-certification at level B1 in oral competence. 
• Senior cycle – There is general agreement that the current Leaving Cert specifications in Irish, which were last revised in 2010 need to be updated. This updating, however, should not result in a lowering of the standard of Irish at senior cycle, nor should they fail to cater for all students, including those who traditionally studied at Foundation level. As well as setting out straightforward learning outcomes, specifications must include more detailed subject content, teacher guidelines and assessment criteria, with clear and transparent alignment between all these elements.
• There is an urgent need for a review of assessment practices for Irish at all levels of the education system to ensure that there is a high level of constructive alignment between curricular specifications and  learning outcomes, assessment and teaching, and that all of these are closely aligned to authentic language use in Irish. This constructive alignment is a basic principle of best practice in curriculum design in all subjects, but it is of particular
  importance in the context of language education.