Seachtain na Gaeilge 2013
December 10, 2012
This year’s Seachtain na Gaeilge will take place from 4-17 March 2013 and promises to be the longest week of the years packed with cultural and Irish language events all over Ireland and around the world.
Seachtain na Gaeilge promotes the use of Irish language and culture both at home and abroad with a two-week festival held in March every year. The festival gives everyone a chance to experiment and have fun with Irish, whether they are fluent speakers or only dipping their toe in the language for the first time.
Seachtain na Gaeilge 2013 festival will have its most international flavour to date. Learners from abroad will be invited to Ireland to take part in the fun from 4 – 17 March 2013, where there will be a range of exciting new and innovative events organised to get everyone speaking Irish.
The 2013 celebrations will not only have one or two ambassadors but three and they hope to motivate thousands of people to speak their native language during Seachtain na Gaeilge in 2013. Ambassadors include Róisín Ní Thiomáin from Galway who presents the Jig Gig on TG4, the Kilkenny native and Sports Presenter with RTÉ, Evanne Ní Chuilinn and the renowned Belfast boxer Paddy Barnes who represented Ireland at the Olympic Games in London in summer 2012.
Seachtain na Gaeilge will be celebrated all over Ireland in many other locations all over the world where the community have embraced a love the Irish language. In Ireland many local libraries and the National Museum of Ireland will hold many historical and various events which will give people the opportunity to practice their Irish.
Seachtain na Gaeilge celebrates the Irish language each years and also celebrates tour heritage, culture through various events such as concerts, conversation gatherings, traditional music, sean-nós and Irish dancing plus much more. Other events include historic walks. Poetry reading, surfing lessons, speed dating as Gaeilge, children’s event, storytelling, concerts, Irish language conversational gathering in many café’s plus much more.
To find out what’s happening in your area this Seachtain na Gaeilge visit: www.snag.ie
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Tóstal na Gaeilge 2013
December 10, 2012
Tóstal na Gaeilge 2013 will be held on Saturday, 16th February 2013 in the Hilton Hotel, Charlemont Place, Dublin 2.
An Tóstal is a biannual conference which brings together Irish speakers from around the globe as well as friends of the language to discuss the most pertinent issues currently facing the language.
During An Tóstal, national and international experts and various guest speakers will discuss the ways in which the status of the Irish language can be fortified under the Constitution and other issues regarding to the Gaeltacht will alos be under discussion throughout the day.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
300 pacáiste eolais iarrtha ag tuismitheoirí
December 10, 2012
Majority of parents want school mergers
December 10, 2012
Parents have sent an unequivocal message to the Education Minister as he prepares to make major decisions on the future rationalisation of the schools’ estate — they want their children educated side by side.
And they believe the community — not politicians and civil servants in the Department of Education — should have the say on how closures and amalgamations are carried out.
More than six out of 10 people support merging schools of various backgrounds as a way to save money, according to the latest Belfast Telegraph LucidTalk opinion poll. The survey asked respondents, in light of under pressure education budgets, which of the following options they would consider as a way to save money.
The options included a) cutting back on maintenance in existing schools; b) merging Catholic maintained, state controlled, integrated and Irish medium schools if pupils numbers were low; c) raising taxes and rates or d) abolishing free school transport for children whose parents work.
The overwhelming majority of respondents (61%) stated they would prefer to see mergers of schools with low pupil numbers as opposed to cutting back on school maintenance (10%), increasing taxes and rates (9%) or abolishing free school transport for children whose parents work (20%).
The findings come two days before Education Minister John O’Dowd is due to take receipt of Northern Ireland’s five education and library boards’ area plans for the post primary sector. The North Eastern Education and Library Board last night published its proposals.
The boards should give the Sinn Fein minister food for thought as he considers how the rationalise the schools estate. Proposals to reduce the 85,000 empty desks in our schools include closures, mergers, extending some schools to cater for up to 2,000 pupils and retaining the status quo.
“There is enormous waste with school resources; all schools should pool their resources and facilities,” one respondent said. There was an almost even split in the level of support among Protestants and Catholics for cross-sector mergers with 63% and 56% respectively.
Trevor Lunn MLA said: “These results confirm our impression that the public is more prepared than some politicians to consider radical moves to merge more schools across the different education sectors. “It will bring economic as well as social benefits to our society, and I would urge the department to make it easier to do so.”
The poll also reveals more than half of those surveyed (57%) were unaware of the public consultation process that was criticised for running over the summer holidays with only 15% of poll respondents having given feedback on the area plans.
The Programme for Government has made a commitment to substantially increase the number of schools sharing facilities by 2015 while an advisory group on shared education is due to make its recommendations to the Education Minister in February
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Aighneas i dtaobh cúrsaí Gaeltachtaí sna Coláistí Oiliúna Múinteoirí
December 10, 2012
Tg4 launches a fourth app for children
December 10, 2012
Tg4 launched a new app last week for young children; ‘Ag Spraoi le Claude’ based on the popular series shown on Cúla4 and is now available for download on iTunes.
The cartoon ‘Ag Spraoi le Claude’ centres on Claude, the polar bear, who moves from the North Pole to a sunny town and the way in which he deals with the huge culture shock. Brian, Claude’s best friend, is always there for him and helps him adapt to his new life.
Children can get help from Brian themselves with fun games in a range of levels in this new app. Pre-school kids learn crucial skills such as counting, sound measurement, painting and discovery all as Gaeilge with a very easy to use layout.
The app only costs €1.79 and follows a series of apps which were released this month – CúlaCaint 2 and Olly an Veain Bheag Bhán, which are free to download. Type in the keywords Gaeilge, Cúla4 or TG4 to find the app on iTunes.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Irish Speaking Child Minders Required
December 10, 2012
For those who are interested in caring for children as Au Pairs abroad or those interested in childminding in Ireland, three great opportunities have recently been advertised on Gaelport.com by families who are looking for Irish speakers to mind their children.
As an Au Pair, the successful candidate would have a chance to travel, to learn new languages and to improve their language skills whilst caring for children at the same time. The Irish Language will be the main language spoken in the home.
· Au Pair 1: A native speaker of Irish is required, to care for two children by a family based in New York. A G5 Visa will be required.
· Au Pair 2: A fluent Irish Speaker is required to care for one child in Germany.
· Child Minder: An Irish speaking family based in Dublin are seeking a child-minder with fluent Irish to care for their two children.
Further information about these positions, and many more is available at www.gaelport.com/foluntas
Minister Quinn protects frontline education services in Budget 2013
December 10, 2012
Class sizes in primary and free second level schools remain unchanged
The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D. today outlined how he has protected frontline services in schools and higher education institutions to the greatest extent possible in the Budget.
Despite the need to find considerable savings in the Department, Minister Quinn has announced that there will be no reduction in teacher numbers for primary schools and free second level schools as a result of this Budget. In addition, he is protecting special needs services, which means there will be no reduction in the number of Resource Teachers or Special Needs Assistants (SNAs). The DEIS scheme for disadvantaged schools is also fully protected with no overall changes to staffing levels or funding as a result of this Budget.
The DES current expenditure budget for 2013 is €8.514 billion. Savings of some €90 million are needed for next year. This is made up of €77 million of savings announced under last year’s Comprehensive Review of Expenditure, together with a further €13 million in order to meet upward pressures mainly associated with the pay costs for teachers and SNAs.
“Given that four in every five euro in my Gross Current Budget is spent on pay and pensions, it has not been an easy task to identify the savings of €90 million needed. However, I have sought as far as possible to meet the Programme for Government commitment to prioritise education and to protect frontline services,” said Minister Quinn.
In order to promote fairness in funding second level schools, a 2 point increase in the pupil teacher ratio in fee charging second level schools will be introduced in September 2013. There are currently 55 schools, out of 723 post primary schools, that charge fees ranging from €2,550 to €10,065 for day pupils. At present the state pays the salaries of one teacher for every 21 pupils in these schools compared with one teacher for every 19 pupils in schools in the Free Education scheme.
This will rise to 23:1 in schools that charge fees. However, these schools have the resources, through fees charged, to employ teachers privately, an option which is not available to schools in the free education scheme. A report on the analysis of the tuition income of fee-charging schools carried out by the Department will be published in the New Year.
Two measures are being taken in order to reduce the substitution costs for teachers and SNAs in schools. Firstly, sick leave referrals will be harmonised with those that apply in the civil service. This will mean that schools will be required to refer teachers and SNAs to the occupational health service, the equivalent of the company doctor, after four weeks of sick leave. Secondly, arrangements for maternity leave-in-lieu for teachers and SNAs will be revised, with teachers’ annual leave entitlements covered by school closures. This move will not affect their statutory entitlement to 6 months’ fully paid maternity leave and to 16 weeks of unpaid leave. A similar change will take place in respect of adoptive leave in lieu.
By taking these two measures together, Minister Quinn has been able to save enough money to avoid having to reduce the number of teachers in mainstream schools.
The PTR in Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) programmes is to be equalised with the PTR in mainstream second level schools, changing from 17:1 at present to 19:1. However, the number of PLC places should not be affected.
Participants on VTOS, Youthreach and FAS further education and training programmes who move from Jobseekers payments will no longer have their new payments increased to the maximum €188 per week, in cases where their Jobseekers allowance is less than this. However, people under 25 will continue to receive a top-up rate of up to €160 per week. While a reduction is necessary, given the difficult economic circumstances, there will still be a financial incentive for young people to take up further education and training opportunities. This measure will be replicated by the Department of Social Protection in respect of the Back to Education Allowance Scheme.
As Minister Quinn has already signalled, the student contribution at third level will rise by €250 in 2013 to €2,500 and by €250 for the following two years to a maximum of €3,000 by 2015. The Budget will also see a 3% reduction in the income threshold for entitlement to student grants. This threshold rose every year from 1997 to 2009, in line with average industrial earnings. However, average incomes fell by 7.9% over the past few years but there has been no corresponding decrease in income thresholds for grant purposes since the economic downturn. Minister Quinn has, however, been able to maintain the existing rates of grant support for those qualifying in 2013.
Minister Quinn is seeking more prudent management of existing cash balances by the Higher Education Institutions by reducing their allocation on a one off basis by €25 million. He is requesting the Higher Education Authority ensures this measure will not impact on frontline student services. Similarly, the allocation to VECs will be reduced by €13.2 in 2013 which again should not reduce service levels.
“While it has been difficult to secure the level of savings required, I have sought to be as fair as I can throughout, to protect frontline education services as much as possible and to prioritise those sectors in the education system that cater for disadvantaged and special needs students,” said Minister Quinn.
“Alongside savings which I had to find, I have also secured the resources to continue our ambitious reform agenda to ensure better outcomes for all of our students.”
A complete overhaul of the Junior Cycle is now underway, and will be supported by an investment of €3 million in 2013, and €8.7 million in 2014. The Literacy and Numeracy Strategy continues to be rolled out, at a cost of €6.5 million in 2013. The Schools Building programme for 2013 will see work begin on 50 projects for new schools and major extensions. This will bring the number of planned major school projects on site in 2013 to 113 as part of an overall capital expenditure on schools of almost €370 million.
The roll-out of high-speed broadband to second level schools continues, with a further 200 schools expected to be connected by September of 2013. The Action Plan on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary sector is being implemented, which will ensure greater parental choice. With rising enrolments at both primary and post primary levels, next year will also see approximately 900 jobs net for teachers created – 450 at primary and 450 at second level.
A total of €48 million has also been provided in the National Training Fund for labour activation measures for the unemployed and targeted skills training in 2013.
www.education.ie
Buiséad 2012: Cad a chiallaíonn sé do na Naíonraí agus don earnáil luath-óige?
December 10, 2012
Literacy and Short story Writing
December 10, 2012
Exceptional course aimed at both national and secondary school teachers with Ré Ó Laighléis
Date: Saturday, 26th January 2013
Two sessions: 10am – 12.30pm and 2 – 4pm.
For whom: Teachers
Course language: Irish
Venue:
An Scríobhlann, áras traenála MÓINÍN
Ballyvaughan
Co. Clare
Spaces are limited to 8 spaces, register before 8th December 2012.
This course is free of charge.
For further information contact:
Ruth Ní Shiadhail,
Gaeilge Locha Riach,
Fón: 091 870718
R-phost: oifig@lochariach.com
or
Tomás Breathnach, Timire Gaeilge,
Coiste Gairmoideachais Chontae na Gaillimhe,
Fón: 091 874524/ 087 6826795
R-phost: tbreathnach@cogalvec.ie
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com 03 Nollaig 2012
