A 16-year-old student from Faha has been invited to Leinster House to share his vision for a complete overhaul of how the Irish language is taught and assessed in secondary schools.

Joseph Scanlan, a Transition Year student at Presentation Secondary School, Milltown, developed a comprehensive policy proposal aimed at ending the culture of rote memorisation which he believes is damaging the national language.

His campaign has gained significant traction, with an online petition gathering nearly 500 signatures from supporters who want to see a shift toward functional literacy.

Scanlan argues that the current curriculum treats Irish as a purely academic exercise rather than a living means of communication.

He highlights the fact that despite years of compulsory study, a high proportion of students leave school unable to speak or write Irish with any confidence.

According to Scanlan, students are often rewarded for memorising pre-written essays without understanding the sentence structure or vocabulary, which creates an illusion of competence.

This dependency on learned material leads to student anxiety when faced with unfamiliar vocabulary and contributes to a negative perception of the language as difficult or inaccessible.

The Faha resident has outlined several key pillars for reform, starting with the principle that the main goal of Irish education should be functional literacy.

He proposes redesigning the curriculum around communication skills, such as asking questions and giving opinions, and making oral assessments mandatory for the Junior Cycle to ensure basic communication is mastered early.

He also advocates for increased use of Irish for daily routines within the classroom and a move away from exams that reward memorisation over flexibility and originality.

After sending his detailed proposal to various TDs and Ministers, Joseph has been invited to speak as a youth representative before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Youth.

He has also recommended that Comhairle na nÓg be consulted nationally to ensure the views of young people across the country are included in future policy changes.

Joseph maintains that examination success without real ability is no longer acceptable and that reform is essential for both educational quality and the future of Irish culture.

His petition remains open for signatures at www.change.org/p/revise-the-irish-curriculum-for-a-focus-on-language-fluency.