An Chomhdháil Welcomes the Formation of the 31st Dáil
March 10, 2011
Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge extends its congratulations to Enda Kenny T.D., on his election to the role of An Taoiseach. An Chomhdháil also congratulates the Ministers appointed to Cabinet and wishes them every success in their role in the 31st Dáil. An Chomhdháil would like to extend special congratulations to Jimmy Deenihan, TD, newly appointed Minister of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs.
With the announcement today of Government Departments, An Chomhdháil had hoped assurances outlined in the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish language would be upheld, assurances which related to a senior Minister and a Government Department with central responsibility for Irish language affairs. An Chomhdháil welcomes the Government’s support of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish language, through the founding of the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs, with a Minister of State to be appointed with special responsibility for Gaeltacht affairs.
Pádraig Mac Criostail, Director of Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge said: “In relation to the Programme for Government 2011-2016, we believe there are many posititves for the Irish language. Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge is looking forward to co-operating with An Taoiseach, with Minister Jimmy Deenihan, TD, and with the yet to be appointed Minister of State, on Irish language issues in the future. An Chomhdháil will ensure that the new Government will fulfil their assurances, and that the status of the Irish language will be enhanced through the successful enactment of the Programme For Government”.
Eagraíochtaí teanga ag cur fáilte roimh Chlár an Rialtais
March 10, 2011
Five new schools given approval
March 8, 2011
Five new schools have been approved for growing populations in Dublin’s commuter belt.
Three facilities run by Educate Together and two gaelscoileanna by the Foras Patrunachta organisation are to be opened over the next two years to meet increasing demand.
There are no new Catholic schools in the list from the Department of Education.
Educate Together will open multi-denominational schools in the suburbs of Blanchardstown west and Mulhuddart this September and Ashbourne, Co Meath in 2012.
An Foras Patrunachta, which runs gaelscoileanna, will open an multi-denominational school in Ashbourne in September and another in Mulhuddart next year.
Outgoing Tanaiste Mary Coughlan, who lost her Dail seat in the election, signed off on approving the schools last week.
A spokesman for Foras Patrunachta said it has had an application in the department for a gaelscoil in the wider Tyrellstown-Mulhuddart area since 2007.
It also claimed 40% of parents who applied for their children to attend the school were born outside Ireland.
“The Foras Patrunachta feeling is that there should be provision of gaelscoileanna or Irish medium education throughout the country,” the spokesman said.
“The current system focusing on demographics does not answer or meet the needs of parents.”
Two new Gaelscoileanna to be established in Leinster
March 8, 2011
The Department of Education has approved the establishment of two new Gaelscoileanna in Leinster.
The two Gaelscoileanna will be located in Ashbourne in County Meath and in Mulhuddart in Dublin.
An Foras Pátrúnachta is the patron body for the two new schools but no commitment has been given to provide permanent accommodation for the new schools as of yet.
It is hoped that the new school in Ashbourne will open this September with a new school in Mulhuddart to open the next school year.
Minister Mary Coughlan gave the go-ahead for the establishment of the 2 new schools last week and also approved applications from three multi-denominational schools under the patronage of Educate Together.
Irish Careers Seminar to be held this month in Carlow
March 8, 2011
Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge will organise a seminar in the Dolmen Hotel in Carlow on Thursday 24th March 2011 which will focus on the vast array of Irish language careers workers can pursue in Ireland and abroad.
Among the speakers will be the talented broadcaster and services manager with Coláiste na bhFiann Traic Ó Braonáin.
Mairéad Ní Mhurchú will speak about the advantage which the Irish language gave her when choosing her career and the use of the language within her work place as producer and director with Nemeton – the Waterford based independent television production company.
Eibhlín De Paor who works as an arts facilitator with Ealaíon na Gaeltachta in Munster will discuss her work and the importance of the Irish language in her career.
Emma Whitmore, a development officer with Glór Cheatharlach will give an insight into her work and the various challenges she faces promoting the Irish language in her community.
Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge organised similar events all over Ireland in the past two years and up to 2,400 pupils from 74 schools have attended these to date and they are proven to be a huge success.
The event is expected to be both interesting and inspirational and it is hoped that it will motivate students to consider the Irish language when choosing their career paths. Students will have a chance to ask questions of the speakers, and to take part in what promises to be a lively debate.
Representatives from various third level institutes will be present to speak about the third level opportunities available to those wishing to pursue their education through the medium of Irish.
Further information about this seminar is available from Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge at 01 679 4780 or by sending an e-mail to brighid@comhdháil.ie.
An Ghaeilge i gClár an Rialtais
March 8, 2011
Fáite curtha roimh ghealltanais don Ghaeilge i gclár an Rialtais
March 8, 2011
Five schools to open by 2013
March 8, 2011
FIVE NEW primary schools are to be established over the next two years under the patronage of the multi-denominational group Educate Together and the gaelscoil umbrella body, An Foras Pátrúnachta.
All five are in areas of rapid population growth in the Dublin commuter belt. Educate Together will open schools in the Dublin suburbs of Blanchardstown west, Mulhuddart and Ashbourne, Co Meath. An Foras Pátrúnachta will open one inter-denominational school in west Dublin and one in Ashbourne. There are no new Catholic schools in the list of new schools detailed by the Department of Education yesterday. Last month, the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin acknowledged the Catholic Church was over-represented in primary education, given the increasing secularisation of Irish society.
At present, the church controls 89.6 per cent of all primary schools in the State. Earlier this year an internal department report said it is was no longer practical for “every student to be provided with access to a place in a school operated by a patron of their choice”. In future, it says patrons must be able to show clear public demand for their proposed schools. In a proposal which could generate difficulties for Catholic schools, it also says patrons must demonstrate that the demand for any proposed new school is not already being met. Last year, the department identified possible areas where the church might divest itself of certain primary schools. The new programme for government promises a forum on patronage and pluralism in the primary sector which will sit for one year. This has been a long-term demand of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation.
The forum’s recommendations will be drawn up into a White Paper for consideration and implementation by government to ensure that the education system can provide sufficiently diverse number of schools, catering for all religions and none.
The Irish Times – Seán Flynn
Substantial increase in the pupil-teacher ratio amounts to an attack on Irish-medium schools
March 7, 2011
The Department of Education and Skills’ decision to end the current pupil-teacher ratio for Irish-medium schools is a cause of great concern to gaelscoileanna the length and breadth of the country. The present system recognises the challenges facing small Irish-medium schools, allowing them a more favourable pupil-teacher ratio than their English-medium counterparts. This system recognised the considerable extra workload involved in running an Irish-medium school, such as implementing the entire curriculum through the medium of Irish and the lack of resources and supports. The ratio was granted in recognition of the need to protect and strengthen the immersion sector and to protect the schools’ language ethos.
It has been announced that from September 2011, the ratio in Irish-medium schools will be identical to that in schools teaching through the medium of English, a change which will be detrimental for the Irish-medium sector, resulting in job losses for teachers, larger class sizes and a complete dilution of the effectiveness of the immersion experience for the pupil. There are also disastrous implications for teachers’ employment prospects, particularly those without panel rights which is significant given that teachers in Irish-medium schools are not served by a suitable panel.
This is disastrous for Irish-medium schools, particularly those with between three and eight teachers. Up to 31 schools will lose one teacher if this recommendation is put into practice. Four schools will each lose two teachers and the principal will be compelled to return to the classroom in the case of 6 schools. Class sizes will increase as will the amount of mixed class groups with higher class numbers. Schools will be compelled to increase their pupil intake by 17-23 pupils in September 2011 if they’re to keep the aforementioned teachers. As most of these schools are no longer classified as developing schools, this is not a reasonable or a realistic expectation. Any previous change in the schedule involved increasing intake by a pupil or two!! This is a radical and devastating change.
Mícheál Ó Broin, GAELSCOILEANNA TEO. President observed “Despite the twenty year Strategy for the Irish language and the assurances of the government that there will be no change in the pupil-teacher ratio this year, it’s clear that they didn’t have the gaelscoileanna’s best interests at heart. This decision again raises questions about the Department’s attitude to Irish-medium education. Killer blow follows killer blow. Not only are the gaelscoileanna suffering due to poor and unsuitable accommodation and lack of proper support, now the system is being shaken to its foundations by further pressure on already stretched resources. It’s scandalous and unacceptable that Irish-medium schools will suffer again.”
Agreement for ‘one of the darkest hours’
March 7, 2011
PROPOSALS AGREED by Fine Gael and Labour on the economy, public sector reform, political renewal, healthcare and education form the basis of the document Towards Recovery: Programme for National Government.
The programme was approved by the special conference of the Labour Party yesterday at University College Dublin. It was outlined to members of the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting in the Shelbourne hotel. The 64-page document begins with a “statement of common purpose” which declares that “a democratic revolution” took place on election day and that “we now face one of the darkest hours in the history of our independent State”.
There are commitments on the budget deficit, public sector staffing levels, water charges, constitutional reform, job creation, income tax and third-level education. The two parties have reached a compromise on the year 2015 instead of Fine Gael’s 2014 and Labour’s 2016 for reaching the 3 per cent deficit target. Fine Gael sought to cut 30,000 jobs from the public sector on a voluntary basis by 2014, compared with 18.000 sought by Labour. This figure has been agreed by the two parties at between 18,000 and 21,000 within the same period, with a further 4,000 to go by 2015. On third-level education, the parties have agreed to a “full review” of funding before the end of this year, based on the Hunt and OECD reports, but there is no specific reference to the Fine Gael plan for a graduate tax.
“Our goal is to introduce a funding system that will provide third-level institutions with reliable funding but does not impact access for students,” the document states. A State-owned water utility company is to be established to take over from the local authorities, with the objective of installing water meters in every household and “move to a charging system that is based on use above the free allowance”. A constitutional convention will review Bunreacht na hÉireann and the government will “prioritise” referendums on five topics:
abolition of the Seanad, although no date is specified; reversing the effects of the Abbeylara judgment on the powers of Oireachtas committee investigations;
protecting the right of citizens to “communicate in confidence” with their public representatives; cutting the salaries of judges in “restricted” circumstances;
children’s rights.
The convention will also consider such topics as: same-sex marriage; reducing the presidential term from seven to five years; reducing the voting age; and removing the provision on blasphemy. The number of TDs will be reduced in line with the 2011 census. Ministerial salaries will be cut, political expenses will have to be vouched for and severance payments for ministers will be cut. A strategic investment bank, proposed by Labour, is to be established, although there no detail supplied in this document. Fás will be replaced by a national employment and entitlements service. Resources will be provided within the first 100 days of the new administration for a jobs fund. An export trade council will be established to promote trade and exports. A national development plan will be drawn up for the period 2012-2019. A commercially-financed investment programme called the NewERA plan, which was the title used in the Fine Gael manifesto, will also be put in place.
The document states: “We will target up to EUR2 billion in sales of non-strategic state assets drawing from the recommendations of the McCarthy review group on State assets, when available.” The programme also pledges “to stick to the aggregate adjustment as set out in the national recovery plan for the combined period 2011-12”. Existing rates of income tax, together with bands and credits, will be maintained. Top marginal rates on income will not be increased. “We will reduce, cap or abolish property tax reliefs and other tax shelters which benefit very high income earners,” the programme states. The new government will “consider” a site valuation tax on property, which must take account of “mortgage distress” and the provision of a reliable stream of revenue to local government. “We will review the universal social charge,” the document states.
An independent fiscal advisory council will be set up to “undertake fiscal macroeconomic projections and monitoring”. In the health area, universal health insurance will be brought in by 2016, with access according to need and payment according to ability to pay. “Universal primary care will remove fees for GP care,” the document adds. On the Irish language, there is to be “a thorough reform” of the curriculum and the way Irish is taught. There is no reference to the controversial Fine Gael proposal to drop Irish as a compulsory subject of study for Leaving Cert. The preamble to the document begins: “On the 25th February a democratic revolution took place in Ireland. Old beliefs, traditions and expectations were blown away.” The document continues: “It is no exaggeration to say that we now face one of the darkest hours in the history of our independent State.
“To deal with this unprecedented national economic emergency, our country needs an unprecedented level of political resolve. “What is needed now after a long period of reckless, ill disciplined government is strong, resolute leadership. “That is why Fine Gael and Labour, the two largest political parties in the State, having achieved historic levels of support in the general election, now seek to use their mandate to form a government for national recovery.”
The Irish Times – Deaglán de Bréadún
