The number of students being taught in Irish is set to double under plans unveiled by the education minister. Joe McHugh announced a goal for the development of the first comprehensive Irish-medium education policy in schools and early-years settings outside the Gaeltacht, which is one of the aims of the government’s 20-year strategy for the language. More than 45,000 students now attend Irish-medium primary schools and almost 17,00 students go to Irish-medium post-primary schools. Mr McHugh said: “Naionrai and Irish-medium schools play a vital role in developing identity and fluency in our language. The benefits of full immersion in early years and in school are internationally recognised both for a child’s holistic development and also for acquiring the aptitude for other languages.

Source: The Times December 31, 2019 00:06 UTC