Number of secondary school students with Irish exemptions reaches record high
Kenneth Fox
The number of secondary students given exemptions from studying Irish has reached a new record high of 60,946, according to the latest figures from the Department of Education and Youth.
The new figures exclusive to TG4’s flagship current affairs programme Iniúchadh TG4 - As Láthair will be revealed on Wednesday, 24th of September on TG4 and TG4.ie at 9:30pm.
The programme is presented by the award-winning Investigative journalist Kevin Magee.
The figures show the number of exemptions from studying Irish has almost doubled in the past seven years, leading to fears among some that Irish is losing its compulsory status in schools.
The documentary probes the reasons behind the increasing number of exemptions in the education system at a time when Irish is enjoying a cultural revival among young people, fuelled by the success of bands like Kneecap, the popularity of Irish summer colleges, and the growth of online influencers speaking Irish.
The programme contains calls from the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) for its members to be relieved of the responsibility to grant exemptions, claiming some headteachers are being pressurised by parents seeking dispensations for their children.
The latest figures from the Department of Education and Youth show that in the 2024/25 academic year, 60,946 children, or 14.3 per cent of the post-primary school population, had an exemption from studying Irish even though it is a compulsory school subject.
This is the equivalent of one in seven secondary school children currently having special permission to excuse them from studying Irish
The latest figures show an increase of 5,286 students from the previous year’s total of 55,660, which was 13.4 per cent of the post-primary population.
The system of exemptions is placing undue pressure on Principals and Deputy Principals, according to the professional body that represents them.
Currently, a school principal can decide to grant an exemption if a student meets the necessary criteria laid down by the Department of Education and Youth.
The conditions usually apply to children who have special educational needs or are new arrivals coming to Ireland from abroad.
NAPD director Paul Crone said: "Principals should no longer be responsible for granting Irish language exemptions and this practice should be ended immediately."
"The reason for this is the highly technical nature of making the exemption decision and the conflict it creates between the principal and the parent when the exemption criteria are not met."
"Parents believe that the principal has the discretion to grant the exemption, and they often obtain a medical note from their GP to support their claim when the criteria for exemption are not met, and this often results in unpleasant and unnecessarily hostile interactions.”
