Here is Gaeloideachas’ submission to the National Conversation on Education. You can find more information about the Convention on Education and the National Conversation here. 

To complete the survey and send a submission of your own, click here. 

The survey asks: What would the Irish education system need to provide a positive learning experience that would enable every child and young person to succeed in a rapidly changing world?

Ensure the benefits of immersion education are available to everyone

National and international research shows that immersion education, the model practiced in naíonraí and Irish-medium schools, has cognitive, communication, and academic benefits. These benefits should be available to everyone in the education system in Ireland, regardless of their ability, socio-economic status, religious, cultural, or linguistic background.

The State should normalise Irish-medium education as a choice for everyone and raise awareness of the benefits of immersion education. We need a publicity campaign to show that it is possible and beneficial for children with additional needs to be in the Irish-medium education system.

Support the vision of the State for Irish-medium Education

We must act to realise the State’s vision for Irish-medium education as stated in the 2025 Policy on Irish-medium education, which is:

• That high-quality Irish-medium education be available to everyone, in inclusive and multicultural educational settings.
• That a love for the Irish language and culture be nurtured in children and young people so that they continue to use the language fluently and with pride throughout their lives.
• That a system of support and appropriate resources be available for Irish-language education settings and their communities.

No child or young person should have to attend an English-medium preschool or school because Irish-language provision is not available to them – because there is none in the area, because it is oversubscribed, because the naíonra or school is not equipped to meet their needs, or for any other reason.

Ensure supply

As it stands, not all children in this country have the opportunity to attend early years, primary, or post-primary education fully through Irish, because it is not available locally. This infringes their language and educational rights. We need to ensure that no child is disadvantaged geographically, socioeconomically, or otherwise regarding access to early education or a school place, and that Irish-medium education is an accessible choice for them.

The State must have an ambitious and strategic approach the provision of high-quality, Irish-medium education at all levels, including provision for inclusive special education. We need a process to support the establishment of naíonraí and Irish-medium primary and post-primary schools in areas where there is demand, responding to the needs of the community.

There should be a mechanism in place for applications to be considered from community groups for the establishment of new provision, in order to provide appropriate support through educational partners to meet the demand. Independent provision through Irish should be available at every level in every county.

Regarding provision at the post-primary level, research on Current provision in Irish-medium Units (COGG, February 2024) shows that the unit model is not suitable as a model of immersion education provision. Units already in existence should be supported to develop into independent schools with their own identity and autonomous management. New units should not be established, we should instead establish schools that have an Irish-language ethos.

Support quality

It is necessary to ensure that there is an adequate supply of teachers and support staff fluent in Irish available to work in naíonraí and schools. This includes external professionals – psychologists, therapists, special needs assistants, and others. It is essential that they are provided with initial basic training and ongoing professional development in Irish, as well as language supports for those who would like to work in the sector but do not have proficiency in the language or did not qualify in Ireland.

To recognise the additional workload of naíonraí and Irish-medium school staff, they should be paid an appropriate allowance. A description of the additional workload is provided in the research Teacher Workload in the Irish Medium Sector (Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta, May 2025).

To ensure that children with additional needs can fully benefit from the immersion education system, there is an urgent need for support so that they can reach their full potential – access to appropriately trained staff, suitable resources and programs (teaching, assessment, and others), and accessible settings with an inclusive culture and universal design at their core.

A specific training program must be provided that prepares early years teachers and school teachers to become specialists in additional needs and inclusion. The unique circumstances and requirements of an Irish-medium setting should be taken into account – planning, resources, differentiation, assessment, language acquisition among multilingual children. A coordinator for planning for additional needs is recommended, shared across Irish-medium schools, acting as a facilitator to help promote good practice, as well as to facilitate continuity between the levels.

There is a need for language support hours for Irish for every child according to their level of ability. At primary level, language assistants are required to help with language acquisition. At the post-primary level, more support is needed to help with students’ language enrichment and accuracy in the majority of lessons on a cross-curricular basis. The European Reference Framework for Languages should be used to support transparency, continuity, and progression in learning Irish from each stage of the education system to the next.

In the revisions being made to the Leaving Certificate Irish Specifications, students with high proficiency in Irish should be catered for with an additional optional Irish subject. This would give them two Irish subjects to use in the CAO system if they wish.

Every child and young person in this country should have the opportunity to engage with the Irish language and to acquire it at a level appropriate for them – including newly arrived students in Ireland and students with additional needs – in order to enhance their cultural and national identity and connect with the wider community. The current system of exemptions must be thoroughly reviewed, a system that does not exist in other jurisdictions, to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to acquire the language and that the proper tools and supports are available to make this possible.