Northern Ireland is creating a new curriculum for primary and secondary education. The proposed program, called Northern Ireland Curriculum Framework 2028, under the title TransformED, is currently under consultation and review. This program is based on the concept of rich knowledge, which emphasizes a deep understanding of the specific content of each subject, rather than focusing on general skills. This approach bears similarities to the educational reforms of 2013 in England, led by then Education Minister Michael Gove, which emphasized the impact of cognitive sciences and the belief that secure knowledge is the foundation of higher-order thinking.
Major Changes in Language Education
One of the fundamental proposed changes in Northern Ireland is restrictions on language teaching. Over the past two decades, modern languages such as French, German, Irish, and Spanish have been taught in schools in Northern Ireland. However, past reforms in the early 2000s missed the opportunity to include mandatory languages in the primary curriculum, resulting in Northern Ireland being recognized as one of the regions with the shortest mandatory language learning period in the European Union.
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Despite this, many post-primary schools in Northern Ireland teach two or three languages. The current curriculum requires the learning of at least one language from the European Union languages, but also provides enough flexibility for learning more. While the new programs still do not include modern languages in the primary phase, they do focus on a modern language as the primary language in the secondary phase (ages 11 to 14).
Challenges Facing Language Learning
In schools in Northern Ireland that teach in English, Irish is considered a modern language on par with French, German, and Spanish. In two post-primary schools that teach in Irish, students are educated through Irish and learn English along with either French or Spanish. This approach differs from other Celtic regions where their language programs have expanded.
Since 2013, Scotland has allowed all students the opportunity to learn at least two modern languages. The Republic of Ireland and Wales also have bilingual policies plus one additional language, whereby all students learn either Irish or Welsh and then add another modern foreign language. The focus on learning only one language from ages 11 to 14 in Northern Ireland represents a significant policy shift not seen in any other regions of Britain.
The Northern Ireland government argues that research evidence shows that learning time should focus on developing depth of knowledge. However, there is no credible international research indicating that young people should only learn one language in school or that learning should be limited to ages 11 to 14. In fact, EU policies set goals for all students to be proficient in the language of instruction and two other languages by the end of secondary education.
These changes in language learning could have serious implications for future generations. Given that schools in Northern Ireland have over 21,350 new students and host speakers of more than 90 languages, today's decisions could profoundly impact the future of language learning.
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