Dublin – Irish primary schools will soon offer more opportunities for students to learn world languages, including Malayalam and Hindi, as part of the Department of Education’s expanding “Say Yes to Languages” initiative.
The programme, which has been successfully implemented for four years, will enter its second phase in the 2025/2026 academic year. The department is now accepting applications from school principals and authorities to participate in the next cycle of the initiative.
Expansion of World Languages in Schools
The Say Yes to Languages (SYTL) programme was introduced to provide primary school students, particularly those in 5th and 6th classes, the opportunity to explore foreign languages. Currently, the programme includes 15 languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Irish Sign Language, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Tamil, and Ukrainian.
Given the significant number of students of Indian origin across Ireland, Malayalam and Hindi—two widely spoken Asian languages—are strong candidates for inclusion in the upcoming phase of the scheme.
Application Process
Applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. They should be submitted through the school principal or, in their absence, a class teacher. Participation is open to all schools regardless of the number of interested students.
Parents are encouraged to meet with school authorities to raise awareness about the scheme and advocate for the inclusion of additional languages such as Malayalam or Hindi. Some school personnel may not be aware of the initiative, so parental input could be key to participation.
Teaching Model and Support
The programme offers 10 weeks of language instruction, with one hour of class per week. If a school lacks qualified teaching staff for a specific language, they may appoint a visiting teacher from the local community.
Participating schools will receive a grant of €500 per class, up to a maximum of €1,000 per school. Additionally, the Department of Education will cover teacher salaries. Teachers involved in the programme can also enroll in a foreign language skills development course.
Teaching resources and materials are developed and provided by Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI), which also manages the programme.
Long-Term Vision
The department aims to extend foreign language education beyond primary level, eventually integrating these languages into Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate curricula and examinations—just as is currently done with French, German, and Spanish.
The primary objectives of the SYTL programme include:
- Increasing awareness of the importance of modern language learning.
- Supporting migrant students in maintaining and developing their heritage languages.
- Promoting the value of language education at the post-primary level.
Next Steps for Parents and Schools
- Inform school leadership (principal or class teachers) about the SYTL initiative.
- Encourage submission of the application form before the May 21 deadline.
- Assist in identifying potential visiting teacherss for under-represented languages.
- Share the application link and programme guidelines within school communities.
Irish Samachar English News
{OR} Kindly click to follow the Irish Samachar News channel on WhatsApp