Sir, – You report that the Government plans to increase the number of Leaving Certificate students taking foreign language subjects and to diversify the foreign languages available to second-level students ("Chinese to be added to Leaving Cert curriculum", April 19th). Recently, in two of the biggest schools in Galway city, French was the only foreign language on offer, with no chance of a change in this for many years.
I had a greater availability of foreign languages when I attended a small rural secondary school nearly four decades ago.
The lack of development of this area at second level is shocking, and the lack of ambition by the Department of Education and successive ministers of education in this regard has let down countless generations of children. – Yours, etc,
SEAMUS LENNON,
Salthill,
Galway.