IRISH STUDENTS will be able to take Chinese as a Leaving Certificate exam subject, Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn said this week, a key step in efforts to boost Ireland’s marketability in the world’s fastest growing major economy

Not having Chinese as a subject on the Leaving Cert means Ireland trails its European partners in producing fluent Chinese speakers who can represent the country’s interests in many parts of Asia.

Mandarin Chinese is spoken in mainland China, Taiwan and Singapore, and is widely understood in Hong Kong, where it bears similarities to Cantonese, though it is a separate language.

Crucially, English is not widely spoken in China, which means having even a little Chinese is a serious advantage when trying to crack the market.

There is a growing awareness elsewhere in Europe that learning Chinese will give students an edge in the job market of the future. Northern European countries in particular are ditching French and Spanish in favour of Chinese.

In Portlaoise last week, Quinn announced a transition-year course on Chinese language and culture, jointly developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and the UCD Confucius Institute. The launch was attended by students representing some 22 secondary schools already studying Chinese language and culture as part of their curriculums.

The Minister also announced an optional short course on Chinese language and culture which will be made available as part of the new Junior Cert cycle programme from 2014. It’s a great idea, although frustratingly, there is still no time- line for when Irish students will take Mandarin in the Leaving Cert.

The figures seem to show that Ireland is in serious danger of being left behind. In Britain, for example, one in six schools offer some form of Chinese tuition, and more than 3,200 students took Chinese A-Level exams last year.

The Swedes want every school to offer Chinese as an option. Other European countries such as Belgium have been aggressively pushing Mandarin classes in schools.

In the United States, rich parents are trying to find Chinese nannies for their children to make sure they learn the language, and there is a burgeoning business in teaching Chinese, which is the fastest-growing language in US schools.

Looking ahead, a problem is going to be finding teachers to teach in Irish schools. Competition for Chinese teachers is hotting up.