Controversial new Irish syllabus to be reviewed

A CONTROVERSIAL new Irish syllabus is to be reviewed under an order made by Education Minister Mary Coughlan before schools even begin teaching it to second-level students.

The row-back could cause tensions within Government and adds to confusion for students preparing for the 2012 Leaving Certificate, already uncertain if bonus points for higher level maths will be on offer from colleges by then.

In 2007 the then education minister Mary Hanafin introduced the change to the syllabus to shift the emphasis to spoken and commutative use of Irish.