Students from other countries may be forced to study Irish in school under new plans.
The Department of Education is reportedly trying to cut down on the number of pupils who have been abroad from dropping the subject in the run-up to the State exams.
According to the Irish Times, up to 2,000 students have received an exemption in the run-up to the Leaving Cert in recent years.
There is concern too many are using the rule to get out of studying Irish.
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The Department has said it is reviewing the “policy and practice in relation to exemptions from Irish”, carrying out a consultation process, and drafting revised circulars for new rules on examptions.
