Sinn Féin’s education spokesperson has expressed his belief that the growth in demand for Irish language courses at universities across Ireland illustrates the importance of retaining the language within the school curriculum.
Deputy Seán Crowe said: “Despite the economic downturn, the demand for Irish language courses at Irish universities remains consistent.
“There has been little or no change in the number of points required for the numerous courses listed in the first round of CAO offers which have Irish as a joint subject or the primary language of instructions.
“There has also been a significant increase from last year in Irish language broadcasting and journalism courses, and these figures reinforce the importance of retaining Irish as a core subject within the school curriculum.”
Deputy Crowe maintained that “having the opportunity to be educated through Irish should be a constitutional and legally enshrined right of every Irish citizen, and we need to protect its existence for generations to come.”
He added: “These latest statistics show that rather than considering measures which will contribute to the dissolution of Irish, the state should be taking constructive steps to strengthen, support and encourage its growth.”
