Education
MIC and Embassy of France in Ireland partner to advance modern foreign language teaching in Irish primary school
MIC new scholarship initiative – pictured above are Dr John O’Shea, Bachelor of Education Programme Leader at MIC; Dr Loïc Guyon, Honorary Consul of France and Head of the Department of French Studies at MIC; Dr Angela Canny, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Education at MIC; Dr Ronan Flatley, Dean of the Faculty of Arts (Acting); Laura Le Cleach, Cooperation Attachée for French Language; and Prof. Dermot Nestor, President of MIC.
MIC new scholarship initiative will support the next generation of primary teachers to undertake immersive language training in France
Mary Immaculate College (MIC), in partnership with the Embassy of France in Ireland, has launched a new scholarship initiative to support the next generation of primary teachers to undertake immersive language training in France.
Through this jointly funded programme, up to four Bachelor of Education (B Ed) students annually will receive scholarships to attend a specialist teacher development course at CAVILAM – Alliance Française de Vichy, a globally recognised centre of excellence in language education. The programme includes intensive language development alongside structured observation of modern foreign language pedagogy in French primary classrooms.
This initiative forms part of MIC’s strategic response to the Irish Government’s introduction of modern foreign languages into the primary curriculum from September 2025. It positions MIC at the forefront of preparing teachers who are not only linguistically competent but pedagogically equipped to deliver high-quality language education in increasingly diverse classrooms.
advertisement
advertisement
advertisement
advertisement
The scholarships, co-funded by MIC and the French Embassy, will be awarded on a competitive basis to high-performing B Ed students studying French, based on academic achievement. Each award supports participation in a four-week professional training programme in Vichy, including tuition, accommodation, and associated costs.
The partnership builds on a strong Franco-Irish educational collaboration and extends a model previously developed with the University of Limerick into the primary teacher education sector.
From September 2026, MIC will further strengthen its provision by introducing a Modern Foreign Languages pilot across its B Ed, B Ed International and Professional Master of Education (PME) programmes. This will ensure that future primary teachers are equipped to teach French or German as part of the national curriculum from third class onwards.
Professor Dermot Nestor, President of MIC, said, “This initiative places MIC at the forefront of preparing primary teachers for a multilingual future. It combines excellence, international immersion, and practical pedagogy in a way that will directly benefit classrooms across Ireland.”
H.E. Céline Place, French Ambassador to Ireland, said, “Our embassy is committed to supporting the introduction of Modern Foreign Languages into the Primary School Curriculum and supporting the place of French in Ireland’s multilingual education landscape. To this effect, we are delighted to partner with Mary Immaculate College, one of the oldest and most respected centres for teacher education in Ireland.”
mm
Youth Work and Business with Fashion among new TUS offerings
2026 Cycle 4 Sick Children awareness tour comes to Limerick Sunday, May 10
Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention raise €5,000 for Children’s Ark at UHL
New Limerick concert series brings The Proclaimers and Paul Brady to Live at the Spiegeltent Pavilion this November
Spring Clear-out Event to bring secondhand finds to Montpelier on April 18th
5 events in Limerick this weekend, April 10 – April 12
PHOTOS Top 8 Hip Hop & Street Dance Festival returns to Limerick from March 26 to 29
WATCH Limerick’s Torch Players theatre group celebrate 50 years
WATCH Early-Stage Startups from the Midwest offered new investment opportunities through the New Frontiers Programme
