Context
NCCA advises the Minister for Education on curriculum and assessment for early childhood education, for primary and post-primary schools. As part of the broader reform of Senior Cycle, a new specification for LC Arabic will be introduced in schools from September 2025. The Development Group for Leaving Certificate Arabic has had key role in this work. The Group included nominees of the education partners, the Department of Education and other key education agencies.
You can find out more about the redevelopment of Leaving Certificate Arabic below.
The first step in the redevelopment of Leaving Certificate Arabic was the research and publication of a Background paper and Brief for the review of the subject, which was published in November 2020.
A public consultation on the Background Paper and brief took place from 26th January 2021 to 28th March 2021 and a report on the consultation was published in May 2021.
The Development Group for Leaving Certificate Arabic was convened and progressed the development of a new specification guided by the brief and the findings of the consultation on the Background paper. The group developed a draft specification for Leaving Certificate Arabic, which can be read below:
A public consultation on the draft specifications for Leaving Certificate Arabic took place from 4th November to 16th December 2021 and a report on the consultation was published in February 2022. The report can be read below:
NCCA Council paused the work of Senior Cycle Development Groups in May 2022 to allow for further research on curriculum development and assessment, arising from the publication of the Senior Cycle Review: Advisory Report (NCCA, 2022). On completion of this research the Development Group for Arabic was reconvened in May 2023.
The guiding principles, as described in the Advisory Report, provided a touchstone for the Development Group as they undertook the task of preparing a curriculum specification for Leaving Certificate Arabic. The Development Group progressed the development of a draft curriculum specification for Leaving Certificate Arabic, which can be accessed here:
A public consultation on the draft specification for Leaving Certificate Arabic took place from the 8th of December 2023 until the 23rd of February 2024. The report on the public consultation can be read below:
The feedback from this consultation helped to inform the work of the Leaving Certificate Arabic Development Group in refining the draft specification prior to final approval and publication. The final curriculum specification for Leaving Certificate Arabic was published in September 2024. It can be accessed using the link below: