Students at St Columb’s National School in Moville are learning to say “bonjour” to a new language as part of a nationwide initiative.
Students from 2nd up to 6th class have been receiving French lessons, as part of the Department of Education’s “Say Yes to Languages” programme.
“Say Yes to Languages” offers an introduction into a variety of modern foreign languages as well as Irish Sign Language (ISL) and looks to also raise awareness among pupils of the diversity of languages being used by their peers both in school and the wider community. Preparing the ground towards the future inclusion of additional languages as part of the redeveloped Primary Curriculum Framework, the targeted groups are third to sixth class pupils.
By the sounds of it, schools are far from saying “au revoir” to the scheme, as students in Moville have said “c’est bien” to the chance to learn French along with their instructor.
Speaking about the module, Principal, Ms Helena Walker comments, “We are delighted to have brought ‘Say Yes to Languages’ to St. Columb’s National School this year. We have a diverse school community and certainly recognise the benefit and importance of a module such as this. Whilst learning languages undoubtedly allows for the development of a life skill, it also helps build greater awareness of the rich and diverse cultures within our own school and local community. The pupils really look forward to their French lessons each week with Kenneth Donohue from LetterLingo Language & Education Services. They have learned a lot in a short space of time and hopefully this will give them a taster for languages they may wish to study at Secondary School.”
