A radical reform of Leaving Cert Irish that would see the exam taken at four different levels - including a new exam in basic Irish - is expected to be backed by a key advisory group to Minister for Education Mary Hanafin shortly.
But Ms Hanafin is said to be sceptical about the new package, designed to address the crisis facing the language in second-level schools. Sources say Ms Hanafin wants new strategies to improve oral skills and interest more students, rather than more exams.
Under the draft proposals, a new Leaving Cert exam of basic or introductory Irish would be set. There would also be a new exam for native Irish speakers, in addition to the higher and ordinary levels.
The draft proposals from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) - made up of department officials , teacher unions and other education partners - say Irish faces huge obstacles at second level. Many students, it says, have shown a negative attitude to the subject, widely seen as one of the most difficult in the Leaving Cert exam.
The new basic Irish course is an attempt to give newcomer pupils some grounding in the language. But it is also seen as an effort to stem the huge increase in the number of Leaving Cert students who are opting out of the subject.
The number of students opting out of Irish in the Junior and Leaving Cert exams has increased by more than 400 per cent in the past decade. The basic Irish course could replace foundation-level Irish, offered by few schools and taken by just 5,000 students.
Since 1994, the number of second-level students seeking an exemption in Irish has increased from just over 2 per cent to more than 10 per cent.
Only about 12,000 students take higher-level Irish in the Leaving Cert, but more than double this figure - 26,000 - opt for the ordinary-level paper. By comparison, nearly 20,000 took higher level French and other languages.
The department has raised concerns about the large number of high-achieving students who gained a grade D in ordinary-level Irish, the minimum entry level for many third-level colleges.
Ms Hanafin told the Dáil recently: "I am determined to ensure that Irish is taught in our schools in a way that is interesting and relevant."
