PPLI Audit of Foreign Languages - Flipbook - Page 8
Despite the perceived low level of demand for support classes for heritage languages, most respondents are at
least moderately interested in an e-learning or blended learning option for this support, with 73% of those in
English-medium schools at least fairly interested.
• Based on numbers received from the HEIs, numbers for newly graduated French teachers decreased by two
thirds between 2014 and 2015, numbers for German teachers dropped by over half and numbers for Spanish
teachers dropped by two thirds. There was a move to the two-year PME programme in 2014 which may have
been a contributing factor. During the same period the Teaching Council registered an increase in numbers of
teachers of modern foreign languages registering though this data needs to be interpreted with care e.g. although
the number of registered teachers of Spanish increased by 47% between 2012 and 2018 the numbers of
examination candidates in Spanish increased by 57% so that the supply has not kept up with the demand. It
should also be noted that with the commencement of Section 30, the requirement for teachers to be registered
in order to be paid a salary by the state was introduced in January 2014. Teaching Council data would suggest
that for the other languages the supply has increased more than the demand or has remained stable.
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Audit of Foreign Languages Provision in Post-Primary Schools 2017
Post-Primary Languages Initiative February 2017 Draft Report