Individual School Policies
We’re working on a pilot project to help schools build websites in a time and cost-effective way. While our technical partners are building the websites, we’ll provide a space here for schools to share their core policies. Click through the links below to access further information on individual schools.
If you’d like your school to be included, please contact clare@gaeloideachas.ie.
Ag tacú le leanaí agus daoine óga nach Gaeilge ná Béarla a dteanga bhaile
Foilsíodh treoir do scoileanna Gaeltachta agus scoileanna Lán-Ghaeilge chun tacú le leanaí agus daoine óga nach í an Ghaeilge a dteanga bhaile. Leagtar síos gníomhartha féideartha ar féidir le scoileanna a chur in oiriúint dá gcomhthéacs féin. Tá deich bprionsabal ann mar aon le treoir bhreise agus acmhainní. Is féidir tuilleadh eolais a fháil thíos.
Ag Tacú le Leanaí & Daoine Óga nach Gaeilge ná Béarla a dTeanga Baile
Gaeloideachas submission to the National Conversation on Education
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.
Abhcóideacht
Táimid i mbun abhcóideachta go leanúnach ar son na naíonraí lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht. Ardaíodh ceist na naíonraí le linn an lae ag Lá Stocaireachta Gaeloideachas le déanaí, áit a chasamar le go leor polaiteoirí agus seanadóirí.
D’eascair roinnt ceisteanna parlaiminte ón lá sin agus is féidir iad a léamh tríd na gcnaipí thíos.
Gaeloideachas submission to the Committee on the Irish Language, Gaeltacht and the Irish-speaking Community on the crisis in naíonraí outside Gaeltacht areas
Gaeloideachas made the following submission to the Committee on the Irish Language, Gaeltacht and the Irish-speaking Community on May 24th 2024, at the Committee’s request.
Introduction
A Theachtaí agus a Sheanadóirí, a chairde,
Thank you for the opportunity to write to you regarding the crisis affecting naíonraí outside Gaeltacht areas and Gaeloideachas’ recommendations as to how best to support them.
Gaeloideachas defines a naíonra as an early immersion setting for children under the care of an early years teacher. The children in the naíonra learn through play, through the medium of Irish.
In the Irish-medium education sector, naíonraí are recognised as the cornerstone of the immersion education system and, outside the Gaeltacht, the naíonra is often the first contact children have with the Irish language. The naíonra aims to:
- foster the child’s overall development in the early years
- help children who are being raised with Irish to get an early education in their own language and to enrich that language
- help children without Irish to acquire an additional language naturally
Gaeloideachas’ vision is that every child can get a place in a local naíonra, and that they will be provided with high-quality early immersion education. Unfortunately, without formal recognition and support from the State, the future of the naíonraí is at risk.
Gaeloideachas’ role
Gaeloideachas is a national voluntary organisation that supports the development of Irish-medium education. It was established as Gaelscoileanna in 1973 to support Irish-medium primary and post-primary schools outside the Gaeltacht. Since then, the role of the organisation has been expanded and it now provides support services for Gaeltacht schools and for naionraí outside the Gaeltacht as well. Gaeloideachas is funded by Foras na Gaeilge as the lead organisation in the Irish-medium immersion education sector. Among the functions of the organisation are
Support and advocate on behalf of the naíonra community outside the Gaeltacht. Recommend appropriate structures and supports to the State and relevant parties in order to support full Irish-medium provision that meets the needs of the communities and facilitates the delivery of excellent early-years services through the medium of Irish.
Gaeloideachas is a member organisation, and membership is open to naíonraí that operate through the medium of Irish located outside the Gaeltacht in the 26 counties. 12 naíonraí are currently registered as members of the organisation. Gaeloideachas has no role in the management, quality assurance or inspection of naíonraí. The funding and current staff allocation of the organisation is not sufficient to provide a comprehensive support service for naíonraí outside the Gaeltacht.
Recognising naíonraí
Naíonraí outside the Gaeltacht do not fall under a single management organization, as is the case with the majority in the Gaeltacht operating under Comhar Naíonraí na Gaeltachta. Outside the Gaeltacht, they are a mix of private and community enterprises with independent management committees. They come under the same regulations as the English-medium early years services and have the same schemes and supports available to them. They do not receive any additional support from the State agencies, despite their additional needs as early immersion settings.
It is a fundamental problem that the State does not have a mechanism to recognise and affirm the unique status of the naíonra as a setting that provides early immersion. As a consequence of this, the naíonraí operating through Irish outside the Gaeltacht do not have special rights or protection. They are not classified as a specific type of service by the State agencies and as a result there is not even information available to the public about where naíonraí are located. There is a need for proper recognition from the State for early immersion education as a model, and a public directory of naíonraí that provide early immersion education.
Falling numbers of naíonraí outside the Gaeltacht
There are no accurate figures available for the number of naíonraí operating outside the Gaeltacht.
When Gaeloideachas took on the role of providing support services for naíonraí in 2014, a historical database of naíonraí outside the Gaeltacht included more than 180 services. Gaeloideachas requested annual statistics from the 180 naíonraí on that list from 2016-2021 in order to identify a baseline, but without any obligation on the part of naíonraí to report information to the organisation, it was not possible to confirm the numbers. Gaeloideachas stopped collecting statistics in 2021, when only 82 services responded to the survey, and the organisation focused instead on lobbying the Department of Children to profile the Irish-medium early years sector.
In 2022/2023 the State undertook research on this for the first time. However, the survey was not mandatory, and respondents’ consent was not sought to publicly share information about the language of individual services. The Department of Children published the research in the Survey on Irish Medium Provision of Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare in 2023, and according to that report:
- Only 53 early years services outside Gaeltacht areas said they operate entirely through Irish (that is, in keeping with Gaeloideachas’ definition of a naíonra). Comparatively, there are 153 Irish-medium primary schools outside Gaeltacht areas.
- 63 early years services outside Gaeltacht areas said that they are operating bilingually (but what ‘bilingually’ means was not defined).
This shows that there has probably been a significant reduction in the number of naíonraí outside Gaeltacht areas in the last ten years. This is in keeping with the anecdotal evidence Gaeloideachas has received from the community. The organisation has a record of 17 naíonra closures since 2016 and it is estimated that there are more. The State is not able to give an exact figure of the number of naíonraí that have closed because information regarding the language of the service is not sought when an notice is given regarding the closure of a service. Another complication is that a naíonra service may operate within a larger English-medium service, in which case the early immersion provision might be discontinued but is not recorded as a closed service because provision continues through English instead.
It is a mark of progress that the Department of Children is now recognising that it is important to collect information regarding the Irish language in the early years sector, and that a question regarding the language of the service will be included in future in the annual Pobal survey. Another step in the right direction is the national plan due to be published by the Department of Children in 2024, and it is imperative that it be both ambitious and sufficiently focused to tackle the crisis that is being endured by naíonraí outside Gaeltacht areas. The national plan was due to be published in 2023, it has now been postponed to 2024 but the public consultation has not yet commenced (May 2024).
We need a scheme to formally recognise naíonraí providing early immersion education, alongside a quality assurance scheme that provides appropriate supports for the naíonraí and the children in their care.
Funding
Naíonraí outside the Gaeltacht are dependent on funding from the State to pay running costs and staff. The cost of providing a service through the medium of Irish is higher, but naíonraí outside the Gaeltacht do not receive any additional funding to help them cover these costs. Their additional costs can include:
- the purchase or development of resources in Irish;
- Irish language classes for staff, as Irish is not included in their initial training;
- translation costs for policies, forms, notices and more; and
- an allowance to recruit and retain staff.
Between 2013–2014, €1.4 million was lost in State funding for naíonraí: €876,900 from the subsidy scheme funded by Foras na Gaeilge and a further €500,000 when Pobal funding for the dedicated naíonra support organisation Forbairt Naíonraí Teoranta (FNT) ended. Forbairt Naíonraí Teoranta ceased operation as a consequence. Despite the fact that Gaeloideachas was given a role to support the sector, the funding arrangements did not continue and the services provided by Gaeloideachas are not as comprehensive as those previously provided by FNT, due to a lack of funding and resources.
A subsidy scheme for naíonraí is needed to ensure that they will be viable and that they will be able to provide high quality early immersion education to the children in their care.
Staff recruitment and retention crisis
Naíonraí that have closed in recent years have reported to Gaeloideachas that it is primarily because it was not possible to recruit or retain Irish-speaking staff that their services were forced to close, or that they were prevented from opening in the first place. There is a recruitment crisis in the early years sector in general, but it is more acute in the naíonraí, most especially when it comes to recruiting Irish-speaking staff to support special education in the early years.
Typically, the staff in naíonraí outside Gaeltacht areas are part-time and work according to the school year calendar. Pay rates in the sector are low, and staff are not paid during the holidays. The naíonraí outside Gaeltacht areas are in competition with the primary school sector, where better pay and working conditions are available, and staff with fluency in Irish are in high demand.
There is a need for strategic investment in Irish-medium early years with a scheme that will help recruit, build capacity and retain naíonra teachers and provide high-quality early immersion education for young children.
Conclusion and recommendations
The naíonraí outside Gaeltacht areas are operating in a complex and changing environment, without proper recognition of their status as early immersion settings and without sufficient support for them to be viable. For too long we have relied on employees, the majority of them women, who put their own best interests aside for the sake of the children in their care, a situation that is not right or sustainable. They deserve better, as do the families who depend on them to provide care, education and a foundation in the Irish language for their children.
In order to realise the vision that an exemplary early immersion system be available to everyone, it is necessary to tackle the current major challenges for naíonraí outside Gaeltacht areas and ensure that:
- the State recognises early immersion education as the naíonra model and develops supportive policies
- a public directory be made available of naíonraí that provide early immersion education
- a recognition scheme be developed for early immersion education, alongside a quality assurance scheme that provides appropriate supports for naíonraí and the children in their care
- a subsidy scheme be made available to naíonraí to ensure that they are viable and that they have the capacity to provide high quality early immersion education
- strategic investment be made as a matter of urgency in a scheme that will help recruit, build capacity and retain naíonra teachers
Allowance for Teaching through Irish – Background and Reasoning
There has been a teacher supply crisis in the Irish-medium and Gaeltacht education sector for many years. This is a result of a lack of teachers at both levels with the required language abilities to teach in an Irish-medium or Gaeltacht school.
The allowance for teaching through Irish was €1,785 per year for teachers who began teaching before December 2011. Two other allowances were removed from new teachers at the same time; an allowance for teachers in Gaeltacht schools and an allowance for teachers in island schools. These stood at €3,455 and €2,078 respectively.
Since the allowance for teaching through Irish was ended in 2011, there is no incentive or adequate recognition given to the significant additional responsibilities for teachers who teach in Irish-medium settings where immersion education is in place.
Other countries in which teachers work in bilingual or immersion education settings – such as New Zealand, Hawaii, and Canada – already provide recognition similar to this allowance.
Gaeloideachas believes that there is real value to the work being done, and a need for recognition for the teachers carrying out this work. Therefore, we are actively campaigning on this issue, and your support would be a big help to the campaign and in drawing attention to these issues. We are delighted to have the support of the INTO on this matter. #LuachTríLiúntas
10 Reasons to Reintroduce the Allowance
- Teachers in immersion education settings need a wider range of linguistic and educational skills and knowledge over and above what is required for other teachers (Ó Ceallaigh, Hourigan, agus Leavy 2018). They have to keep their language skills and proficiency at a high level.
- There is an unjust divide in schools between teachers who started working in the system since 2011 who do not receive the allowance, and those with the allowance. For those who are still earning the allowance, who started working in their school before 2011, they will lose it if they move schools – even if they move to another Irish-medium school.
- Additional work is needed to promote Irish as the language of socialisation and community language of the school in a wider context. Teachers organise events, trips to the Gaeltacht, and more to achieve this.
- Teachers in Irish-medium schools have an additional responsibility in finding the right balance between teaching specific subjects and placing enough emphasis on language acquisition.
- Teachers must create contemporary resources in Irish quickly to keep up with current events. These materials need to be created from scratch, or by repurposing or translating materials in English – all of which is done in the teacher’s personal time.
- Teachers must create assessment tools in Irish to assess different abilities, and particularly to provide support to students who have specific support needs. These tools are not being provided as standard by State agencies. In addition, learning support may need to be provided bilingually, in accordance with the needs of the child.
- Teachers in Irish-medium schools have to communicate with parents bilingually, meaning that double the work is involved in correspondence with parents.
- If any policy for Irish-medium education outside of Gaeltacht areas is to be successful, it will be essential to ensure that schools and teachers are incentivised to promote and achieve the target results identified in the policies. This is also true of the future success of the Policy for Gaeltacht Education, which will be significantly dependent on the availability of teachers who are trained in the language and willing to work in immersion education settings.
- There is not an adequate supply of training programmes for student teachers nor is there any certainty that newly-qualified teachers will stay in the Irish-medium system if there is no recognition for the additional work that they would do.
- Standardised testing for Irish is required to be carried out in 2nd, 4th, and 6th class in Irish-medium schools, a requirement that does not apply to English-medium schools. It is good practice for teachers to undertake these tests annually in order to assess standards and identify challenges.
5 Ways for you to support the campaign
- Sign and Share our Petition
Gaeloideachas has created a petition calling on the Minister for Education to reintroduce the allowance for teaching through Irish. You can find the petition at this link and it is well worth signing it and sharing it with other teachers and on social media – the number of signatures will show the level of support for this call from teachers across the country and communities of Irish-medium and Gaeltacht schools.
- Show Support Online
We are also undertaking activities on social media – Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and Threads – to show the value of the additional work done by teachers in immersion education settings. We’re asking teachers to share a photo or tweet that shows the work they are doing, and to use the hashtag #LuachTríLiúntas.
- Email your Local Politicians
Which constituency do you live in? You can find your local TDs on this page and send them an email about the allowance, asking them to show their support and contact the Minister for Education. You are welcome to use some of the 10 reasons above as ideas to start your email.
- Submit a Motion at your Union Meeting
Teachers’ unions will soon be requesting motions to be submitted for their annual conferences, and members can submit motions through their local branches. Gaeloideachas recommends submitting a motion to your local branch to seek support from unions on this issue.
- Contact Gaeloideachas
Would you be interested in taking a more active role in this campaign? If you would be happy to speak to the media about the allowance if opportunities arise, or attend meetings between Gaeloideachas and a local politician in your area, send an email to eolas@gaeloideachas.ie including your name, your school, and your constituency (and/or the school’s constituency).
Resolutions passed at our most recent AGM
These were the resolutions passed at the Extraordinary General Meeting and the Annual General Meeting of Gaeloideachas on 22 April, 2023.
Special motion proposed at the Extraordinary General Meeting
This Conference asks that the constitution of the organisation be amended to give naíonraí the opportunity to become members of Gaeloideachas and, accordingly, to put forward resolutions and nominations.
Proposed by: Bord Stiúrtha Gaeloideachas
Teacher supply
This Conference ask the Department of Education to allow schools to advertise jobs as soon as their own panels have been cleared.
Proposed by: Gaelscoil Baile Brigín
Special education
This Conference asks the Department of Education to ensure that allowances for Special Needs Assistant are announced in April/May each year.
This Conference asks the Department of Education and the National Council for Special Education to review the existing criteria for the appointment of Special Needs Assistants and to expand those same criteria.
This Conference asks the Department of Education and the National Council for Special Education to urgently review the process to apply for Special Needs Assistants.
Proposed by: Gaelscoil Baile Brigín
This Conference asks the Department of Education and the National Council for Special Education to give a written confirmation that Irish is the language of employment, teaching and learning in any special class operating in L1 schools.
Proposed by: Scoil Náisiúnta na Rinne
Irish-medium early years – Na Naíonraí
This Conference asks the Department of Children to reinstate the subsidy scheme for naíonraí to tackle the current recruitment crisis in the sector. This scheme will help with the sustainability of Irish language services, to ensure that there will be the option of immersion education at pre-school level.
Proposed by: Bord Stiúrtha Gaeloideachas
Immersion education internationally
The community of this gaelscoil recommends that Gaeloideachas develops a pilot initiative that fosters a partnership between Irish-medium/Gaeltacht schools in Ireland and immersion schools abroad under the Erasmus Program in order to share good practice, strengthen the understanding of immersion education and broaden networking across immersion education practitioners.
Proposed by: Gaelscoil na nDéise
Language requirements for initial teacher education
This Conference recommends that no change be made to the language requirements for entry into teacher training colleges, especially regarding the results of the Leaving Certificate.
This Conference requests that the TEG system be used to improve the quality of student teachers’ Irish.
Proposed by: Bord Stiúrtha
Polasaí don Oideachas lán-Ghaeilge
This Conference asks the Department of Education to develop and publish a Policy for Irish-medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht that is strong, thorough and comprehensive.
Proposed by: Bord Stiúrtha
Additional resolution
This Conference welcomes the decision taken by the Minister of Education not to implement the amendment whereby Paper 1 Irish in the Leaving Certificate would be held at the end of Year 5 in the 2023/2024 school year and the Conference asks that the Minister withdraw this recommendation entirely.
Proposed by: Bunscoil Sancta Maria
Win for campaign against Minister for Education’s decision to examine Leaving Cert Irish Paper One in Fifth Year
Gaeloideachas welcomes the decision announced today that the proposal to examine Leaving Certificate Irish Paper One at the end of Fifth Year has been shelved. Gaeloideachas, along with other education and Irish-language organisations, was at the forefront of these controversial debates, advocating on behalf of students, their parents, and teachers who were extremely unhappy and concerned about the decision.
“There was no scientific or educational basis for this proposal, and there was no analysis of the implications for the learning experience of the student, for teaching and learning of the language throughout the education system, or for the future and status of the language,” said Bláthnaid ní Ghréacháin, CEO of Gaeloideachas. “All parties recognised that it was essential that every opportunity should be provided for students to develop and fine-tune their language acquisition skills before undertaking the composition and listening comprehension aspects of the examination, and to ensure that they will be more able and capable speakers by the end of the course, rather than taking those opportunities from them in Sixth Year.”
According to Ní Ghréacháin, “There was no sense or reason to making changes at this stage while there is a wider review being undertaken on the Senior Cycle. An à la carte approach cannot be taken, with no comprehensive analysis of the reasoning, unintended consequences, and implications of each decision as it will affect the teaching and learning of Irish. It is past time that the Minister recognises the need for a strong vision and clear policy for the language in the education system as a whole.”
“We recognise that students completing the Leaving Certificate course are under significant pressure, but if Paper One had been moved to the end of Fifth Year, it is our view that the standard of Irish that can be achieved would be lowered. There is a significant risk that students’ level of active participation in the language in Sixth Year would have been reduced, not to mention their levels of interest and will to use Irish socially in the future,” said Seán Ó hArgáin, Acting President of Gaeloideachas.
“The Minister for Education has made the right decision not to implement this proposal. We hope that the views of educators, the community, and support organisations will be taken into account in the ongoing analysis of changes to the Senior Cycle. Gaeloideachas will continue our work.”
Ends
Notes for the editor
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Contact Bláthnaid ní Ghréacháin, CEO | blathnaid@gaeloideachas.ie | 01 8535195 | 086-8050335 Seán Ó hArgáin, Acting President | 087-4192322 |
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Gaeloideachas Gaeloideachas provides advice, assistance and support to people who wish to have their children educated through the medium of Irish, as well as support services for Irish-medium schools in Gaeltacht and non-Gaeltacht areas and naíonraí outside the Gaeltacht. |
Irish-medium Education – Deficiencies, Challenges and Opportunities
Following a number of years petitioning the Department of Education, Gaeloideachas are pleased that the development of a policy for Irish-medium education has begun.
“The development of a policy for Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht is a significantly important step,” said Bláthnaid ní Ghréacháin, CEO of Gaeloideachas. “Our hope is that this policy will bring equity to those working within the sector and to students with regard to support infrastructure. Through this policy, our hope is that the vision and ambition of the State regarding Irish-medium education will be clarified. Now is the time for us all to ensure that it will be a strong, supportive policy for the development of naíonraí and Irish-medium schools outside of the Gaeltacht.”
16 January is the deadline set by the Department for survey responses and submissions from the public. However, a request by Gaeloideachas for the deadline to be extended to 28 February was rejected. “I believe that the timeframe that has been allocated for this important step in the consultation process is not sufficient for a number of reasons, not least that the Christmas period falls within this timeframe and that the results of two important pieces of work relating to vulnerable groups within the sector, namely naíonraí and Aonaid, are not yet available. Mapping has yet to be completed on the Irish-medium early-years sector and a significant research project on Irish-medium Aonaid is underway. Naíonraí are the cornerstone of this sector and the question of Aonaid is central to this consultation; without those results being available, it is not possible to engage fully with the survey or submissions.”
Gaeloideachas has submitted a recommendation to the Department that informational public meetings should be organised before 16 January, as they were during the development of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education to discuss the scope of the policy and to encourage the community to participate in the consultation process.
Gaeloideachas has begun its own consultation process focusing on the different target groups within the sector. “We hope to run our consultation process collaboratively and in parallel with Irish-language and education bodies and complementary to the Department’s plan to ensure strong participation in the development of a policy that is critical to the development of Irish-medium education.”
Ends
Notes for Editor
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Contact Bláthnaid ní Ghréacháin, Ardfheidhmeannach| blathnaid@gaeloideachas.ie | 01 8535195 | 086-8050335 Mícheál S. Mac Donnacha, Uachtarán | uachtaran@gaeloideachas.ie | 087-2891544 |
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Gaeloideachas |
National Strategy and Language Supports needed to support Teachers in the Immersion Education System
“The findings of recently-published research regarding the views, experience, and opinions of subject teachers in Gaelcholáistí confirm our understanding that huge challenges exist around lack of fluency and lack of confidence among teachers who teach subjects through Irish in the all-Irish education system, challenges which affect teaching practice in the classroom,” according to Bláthnaid ní Ghréacháin, CEO of Gaeloideachas.
It is widely acknowledged that there is a crisis in the sector of all-Irish and Gaeltacht education in respect of the availability and ability of teachers to work effectively through the medium of Irish, a crisis which is significantly worse at post-primary level, where teachers are required for a wide range of subjects.
The research of Ó Ceallaigh and Ní Chathasaigh identifies challenges in the following areas:
- Language ability of subject teachers
- Teaching and learning through Irish
- Correction of students’ accuracy in Irish
- The specific challenges of subject-based classrooms in Gaelcholáistí
- Supportive infrastructure.
Research participants indicated that they are very concerned about the range and accuracy of their Irish both within and outside the classroom, and felt their own Irish was inaccurate, rusty, and inadequate.
The recommendations of Gaeloideachas include the following:
- That targets are identified regarding language ability of teachers, and that a qualification in the language is a requirement for those who wish to be employed in the immersion education system
- That an expected standard of Irish is established and that teachers’ standard of Irish is assessed at entry to and completion of their training programmes
- That a mechanism is put in place to assess the standard of Irish of teachers during their teaching career
- That common assessment mechanisms are established to ensure a consistent standard of Irish
- That language supports are made available to teacher trainees, including intensive courses, to ensure that this standard is achieved by the time they begin teaching in the immersion education system
- That additional courses and options for both initial training and continuing professional development are provided for the system through the medium of Irish
- That a mentoring system or network be established to support teachers, particularly those who are less confident or starting out in their teaching careers
- That the allowance for teachers in the all-Irish and Gaeltacht system is restored and linked to a TEG qualification at an identified level to encourage and incentivise teachers.
It is clear that a national strategy is needed to support immersion education and to support teachers who work within the all-Irish and Gaeltacht system. Gaeloideachas hopes that the importance of the above recommendations and the recommendations of the research is recognised, and that the existing challenges and those before us will be urgently addressed.
Ends
Notes for the editor
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Contact Bláthnaid ní Ghréacháin, CEO | blathnaid@gaeloideachas.ie Seán Ó hArgáin, President | uachtaran@gaeloideachas.ie Anna Ní Chartúir, Public Relations Officer | ocp@gaeloideachas.ie |
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Gaeloideachas |