Díomá do Ghaelscoil Choin Rí Uladh
September 3, 2010
18 Naíonra nua ag oscailt
September 3, 2010
Numbers at Gaelscoileanna soar
September 3, 2010
THE number of pupils attending all-Irish primary schools in south Dublin has doubled since 2001.
But this increase has not been matched by the creation of additional places at second level, it was claimed yesterday.
“There is massive unmet demand for Irish language second-level education in South Dublin,” said Lugh O Braonain, spokesperson for the campaign to set up a new school, Bunchoiste Gaelcholaiste Dheisceart Atha Cliath.
He said a suitable building had been identified for the proposed Gaelcholaiste. The total cost of any refurbishment necessary to equip the Gaelcholaiste to the highest standard had been put at under €3m. An indication of the growing demand was shown at Colaiste Eoin in Stillorgan where parents put their children’s names down yesterday for entry in two years’ time.
Fiona Ellis
Irish Independent
Oscailt Ghaelscoil Ráth Tó
September 2, 2010
New Ratoath gaelscoil opens despite lack of official recognition
September 2, 2010
Gaelscoil Ráth Tó, the unofficial Irish-language primary school for Ratoath, opened its doors on Monday, without State recognition or funding from the Government. Ten new pupils started on Monday, with spaces still available for any prospective attendees.
Opening day comes two years after efforts first began to establish such a school in Ratoath, and a nationwide campaign began this spring by a number of Irish-language organisations to pressurise the Department of Education to recognise the school officially.
Establishing committee chairperson Anita Sheppard said: “The school will be funded purely by voluntary donations by Irish-language organisations both in Ireland and abroad, from various community supporters and from fundraising conducted by the school’s authorities and parents.”
She said the ultimate aim is to get State recognition as soon as possible and efforts continue to that end in the form of continuous lobbying of political and civil service representatives and also efforts to draw as much media attention to our cause as possible, locally, nationally and even internationally.”
“The Department of Education announced in late 2009 that a new school would be needed in Ratoath, based on demographic projections and those involved in lobbying for the Gaelscoil were confident that they would be recognised as the new school for Ratoath.
However, the Department changed this analysis in February 2010 and announced that no new school would be established in Ratoath in 2010, despite their earlier claims, something which was a deep disappointment to all involved in the campaign, especially to those wishing to send their child to the Gaelscoil in 2010.”
Gaelscoileanna are the fastest growing sector in Irish education today; however, no new gaelscoileanna have been given official recognition since 2008 and many involved in Irish-language education and promotion felt that the growth of Irish-language education was being hindered by the official authorities and that a stand had to be taken on the issue of the recognition of Gaelscoil Ráth Tó, not just as a local issue, but as a national one about official facilitating of Irish-language education.
Meath Chronicle – John Donohoe
01 Meán Fómhair 2010
Drama – Greim na Sainte
September 1, 2010
Leaving Cert Irish syllabus criticised
September 1, 2010
A decision by Minister for Education Mary Coughlan not to add a new Irish language subject to the Leaving Cert curriculum will lead to “cultural impoverishment”, a leading educationalist has warned.
A campaign to introduce the subject was launched by Áine Ní Ghallchóir of NUI Maynooth after it emerged that a revised Leaving syllabus being introduced this September included a reduced volume of literature for higher level-students. Instead, the new syllabus has a greater focus on spoken and aural examinations with 40 per cent of the marks to be allotted to the oral examination, and 10 per cent for the aural examination.
The syllabus no longer contains an entire novel and students are only required to read seven chapters of Maidhc Dainín’s A Thig Ná Tit Orm and specified excerpts from Tóraíocht Diarmuid agus Gráinne . The history of the Irish language has also been removed as an element of the course.
Meitheal na Gaeilge ATAL, comprising representatives from Gaelscoileanna Teoranta, Eagraíocht na Scoileanna Gaeltachta and An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta, was formed to lobby the department for the introduction of a new literature-oriented subject.
Lobbyists say the revised syllabus does not recognise the existence of native Irish speakers, gaelscoileanna, or students of higher proficiency who may wish to attain a high standard of education in the Irish language at second level.
Citing duplication of resources and the “possible inequity” for students without a high proficiency in Irish “in terms of CAO access”, the department said Ms Coughlan “is not convinced” of the merits of introducing a new Irish subject.
Ms Ní Ghallchóir, who heads NUI Maynooth’s Language Centre, said it was introduced with “scant regard” for good practice and would lead to “lower levels of communicative competence and cultural impoverishment”.
The syllabus will continue, the department said, but the Tánaiste has directed the National Council of Curriculum and Assessment to review its implementation, as is normally the practice.
The Irish Times – Éanna Ó Caollaí
01 Meán Fómhair 2010
Call for new Irish subject rejected
August 31, 2010
Minister for Education Mary Coughlan has rejected a call for the addition of a new Irish language subject to the Leaving Cert curriculum.
Educationalists had sought the introduction of the new subject after it emerged that the revised Leaving Certificate syllabus being introduced this September includes a reduced volume of literature for study by higher level students.
Instead, the syllabus has a greater focus on spoken and aural examinations with 40 per cent of the marks to be allotted to the oral examination, and 10 per cent for the aural examination.
The syllabus no longer contains an entire novel and students are only required to read seven chapters of Maidhc Dainín’s A Thig Ná Tit Orm and specified excerpts from Tóraíocht Diarmuid agus Gráinne. The history of the Irish language has also been removed as an element of the course.
Lobbyists say the revised syllabus does not recognise the existance of native Irish speakers, Gaelscoileanna, or students of higher proficiency who may wish to attain a high standard of education in the Irish language at second level.
Citing duplication of resources and the “possible inequity” for students without a high proficiency in Irish “in terms of CAO access,” the Department of Education said Tánaiste Mary Coughlan “is not convinced” of the merits of introducing a new subject for Irish.
The revised syllabus will continue “as planned”, but the Tánaiste has directed the National Council of Curriculum and Assessment to undertake a review of the implementation of the new syllabus, as is normally the practice.
Meitheal na Gaeilge ATAL, comprising representatives from Gaelscoileanna Teoranta, Eagraíocht na Scoileanna Gaeltachta and An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta, has lobbied the Department of Education for the introduction of a new literature-oriented subject.
The collective contends the new syllabus represents a retrograde step in the teaching of Irish in that it provides an insufficient challenge for students with a high proficiency in Irish.
Meitheal believes the new syllabus will damage the Irish language as a community language, a school subject and as an academic subject unless a more substantial provision is made.
The Department of Education said the review would “take account” of the issues raised by Meitheal and the experiences of the first tranche of candidates under the new system.
The first exam based on the new revised syllabuses will take place in 2012.
Numbers taking Junior Cert oral Irish test double
August 31, 2010
The number of students who did oral Irish tests for this year’s Junior Certificate has more than doubled since last year and quadrupled since 2006, despite a union ban on teachers marking their own students.
Marks for the optional Junior Certificate oral doubled to 40% of the total for those who took it in June, but numbers were expected to be small.
Unlike the Leaving Certificate, the State Examinations Commission (SEC) does not send out teachers from other schools to assess students’ language skills.
Instead, a school-based assessment must be carried out and the marks are then notified to the SEC, but the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) forbade their members from co-operation.
In previous years, only around 300 students at a dozen schools presented marks to the SEC from the oral exam, but figures obtained by the Irish Examiner suggest the new marking scheme has incentivised more schools to do the non-compulsory oral Irish test. The numbers rose to 22 schools in 2008 (the year after the increased marks were announced) and to 24 last year, when 725 students did the test.
But, with 40% of the Junior Certificate Irish marks available for it this year, provisional SEC figures show almost 1,700 students getting their results next month took an oral Irish exam. The 54 schools concerned are across the different sectors in which members of both second level teacher unions work, although it is unclear if the tests were done by the students’ own teachers or by others brought in from outside.
“We are aware that management at a small number of schools were making arrangements for some form of external assessment in Junior Certificate Irish. We remain opposed to teachers assessing their own students because of possible complications to their classroom relations and undermining of the exam system’s transparency and objectivity,” an ASTI spokesperson said.
While around one-third of this year’s Junior Certificate students will sit the first exam with increased marks for oral Irish in the 2012 Leaving Certificate, most will go into transition year.
The Irish Examiner revealed yesterday that a review of the controversial increase of marks in Leaving Certificate Irish for the compulsory oral test from 2012 has been ordered by Education Minister Mary Coughlan, even though schools are beginning to teach students the revised syllabus this week. Groups representing all-Irish schools which oppose the changes said that, rather than a review, proper research and a pilot programme in some schools should take place to assess the likely impacts.
Irish Examiner – Niall Murray
31 Lúnasa 2010
Town opens ‘unofficial’ gaelscoil
August 30, 2010
A SCHOOL and its 11 junior infant pupils entering the education system mark a double first today — but the Department of Education doesn’t want to know.
The all-Irish Gaelscoil Ráth Tó, in Ratoath, Co Meath, opens its doors for the first time but the school, with one teacher, Tricia Ni Mhaolagain, has been set up despite a refusal by the department to recognise it or provide state funding.
The lack of official recognition meant the school had to find up to €100,000 to cover its costs for the first year, with funding coming through donations, fundraising and from Irish language organisations both in Ireland and abroad.
Today marks the culmination of two years’ work by parents and Irish language enthusiasts to set up a gaelscoil in the expanding town.
Last year, hopes were high that the gaelscoil would be recognised after the department announced that, based on population trends, a new school would be needed in Ratoath.
However, earlier this year, the department changed its mind and said that existing schools could cater for the projected increase in pupil numbers.
A department spokesperson said they had “no comment” to make on the school’s decision to open today.
The Ratoath gaelscoil promoters say the department’s position not to recognise their school ignores the desire of parents to have their children educated through Irish.
At one stage, over 30 local children were signed up for the Gaelscoil Ráth Tó, but after the department’s decision, some parents looked elsewhere, reducing the number of enrolments to 11.
– Katherine Donnelly
Irish Independent
