Summer Camps
May 12, 2011
Irish Language Summer Camp for primary school children, Backyard, Moynehall, Cavan, 11th – 15th July, 9.30am – 2.00pm. Emphasis on spoken Irish through the arts, sports, fun and activities. Application forms available from Cavan Library, Local Libraries and http://forum.cavancommunity.ie/Glorbhreifne/
Glór Bhréifne: (049) 437 1530 / (087) 640 1682.
Comhdháil ALTRAM
May 11, 2011
Free office equipment available
May 11, 2011
Comórtas Fichille Cúige Laighean 2011
May 11, 2011
Gaelscoil Éadan Doire agus Gaelscoil Choillín – Seachtain na Gaeilge
May 5, 2011
Report to restrict gaelscoileanna
May 4, 2011
A group representing Irish-language schools has warned that the development of new gaelscoileanna could be hindered if proposals contained in a new report are introduced.
There are currently ten all-Irish primary schools in Galway City and County, in addition to nine all-Irish second level schools, and Gaelscoileanna Teo has argued that proposals contained in a recently published report by the Commission on School Accommodation could hinder the development of any new gaelscoileanna. Despite the current economic downturn, the total enrolment in primary schools around the country is predicted to grow by an additional 64,000 pupils to 569,600 by the year 2018. And as a result, the Department of Education is primarily focusing on building new schools in areas where the population is increasing. However, Gaelscoileanna Teo has argued that there is also a need for new all-Irish primary schools to have an opportunity to establish in areas of stable population where there is a demand for all-Irish education. “There still is high demand for such schools. We would be dealing with people on the ground in various areas around the country who are attempting to set up new schools at the moment and they’re coming across a lot of difficulties since the Department really are trying to set up schools only where the population is growing.
There’s a lot of difficulties regarding how you provide Irish medium education for people who are not in those areas,” said Acting Gaelscoileanna Teo CEO Nóra Ní Loingsigh. The new Department of Education report also proposes to conduct parental surveys to determine what kind of new schools should be built in areas of demographic growth, and Ms Ní Loingsigh has argued that if schools are established on that basis in the future, it will be difficult to establish an Irish-speaking school “as it is likely that only a minority will seek all-Irish education in preference to English-medium education”. Gaelscoileanna Teo has also dismissed a proposal contained in the new report to establish all-Irish units within existing all-English schools, suggesting that such units simply do not work. “Over the past ten years seven all-Irish units have closed at second level due to lack of support from the Department. In addition, it is hard for all-Irish units to create an Irish language ethos since they are surrounded by English,” said Ms Ní Loingsigh.
Gaelscoileanna Teo is now seeking a meeting with representatives from the Department of Education and gaelscoileanna patron An Foras Pátrúnachta, which has also objected to the Commission on School Accommodation’s report, to discuss the creation of a development plan for Irish medium education.
Galway Independent – Lorraine O’Hanlon
Group calls for parental choice over school patrons
May 3, 2011
THE DEPARTMENT of Education should take all reasonable measures to ensure parents have a choice of school patron, according to a new report by an expert group.
The report on the procedures for establishing new primary schools says it is no longer practical for “every student to be provided with access to a place in a school operated by a patron of their choice”.
It says patrons must in future be able to show clear public demand for their proposed schools, possibly involving a parental survey.
Gaelscoileanna have raised concerns about this recommendation. In an appendix to the report, they say if schools are to be established on the basis of parental demand, it will be difficult to establish an all-Irish school, as only a minority of people will seek all-Irish education in preference to education through English.
The report of the Commission on School Accommodation comes as the Catholic Church, which controls 90 per cent of primary schools, prepares to hand over some schools to other patrons. Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn has expressed the hope that 50 per cent of Catholic schools can be divested as part of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism.
In their submission to the department’s review, Catholic Church groups say the criteria for recognising new schools “must respect the continuing demand for denominational education”.
The report says proposed new primary schools must signal readiness to be part of a development with other schools in order to gain recognition by the department.
They must also “confirm their willingness to enrol children for whom the department has identified the need for a school”. This follows controversy last year when immigrant children struggled to find places in some north Dublin schools.
The commission, comprising senior department officials and education partners, proposes a radical overhaul of existing informal procedures for recognition of schools. At present, schools can be established with a minimum of just 17 pupils. The new report says schools should have capacity for up to three streams, or about 75 pupils. It proposes the establishment of a patronage advisory group.
The report says prospective school patrons must confirm their willingness to be part of a “campus development” with other primary or post-primary schools as identified by the department.
These education campuses, comprised of schools operating under different patrons, would be cost-effective and offer good synergies, the report says.
The proposal will be seen as part of a wider move by the department to reduce the number of schools, currently 3,200 at primary level and more than 700 at second level.
Other proposals include:
The use of vacant spaces in existing school buildings, where there may not be a demographic need for a new school, should be examined;
An existing English-medium school may change to become an Irish-medium school or vice versa in order to create linguistic diversity;
Spending on new schools cannot be justified in areas where where there is not a demographic demand.
The report estimates that each primary school place in a 16-classroom school costs the taxpayer more than €7,000 per pupil.
The report predicts enrolment in primary schools will surge by 64,000 to 570,000 by 2018.
Irish Times
Gaelscoil groups take issue with report
May 3, 2011
TWO groups involved in the country’s growing number of gaelscoileanna have rejected the report on future primary school provision, claiming it blocks children’s chances of an all-Irish education.
Around 40,000 children attend 139 all-Irish primary schools, representing 6.5% of all 3,169 primary schools, in addition to the 106 Gaeltacht primary schools.
An Foras Pátrúnachta na Scoileanna Lán-Ghaeilge, which is patron to 58 non-Gaeltacht all-Irish schools, says the recommendation that parental surveys be used to identify the type of school to be built in areas of population growth will leave those seeking all-Irish education in the minority so the system is not likely to meet their needs.
In a letter published with the report of the Commission on School Accommodation, An Foras Pátrúnachta chief executive Caoimhín Ó hEaghra also says the organisation does not agree with a proposal to establish all-Irish units within some existing English-medium schools to cater for local demand.
“The majority of the population do not have any practical alternative to English-medium education for their children. This is not right. There should be a choice available to them for all-Irish education,” he wrote.
“An Foras cannot support this report because it effectively places an obstacle to the provision of all-Irish education to the children of the country.”
Gaelscoileanna, the voluntary organisation supporting the development of all-Irish schools, also had its concerns published with the report, saying it cannot support it. While it welcomed the positive approach of the Department of Education to date on all-Irish education, it said that all-Irish units have not worked in English -medium schools.
“Over the past 10 years, seven all-Irish units have closed at second level due to lack of support from the department. In addition, it is hard for all-Irish units to create an Irish language ethos since they are surrounded by English,” wrote Gaelscoileanna’s acting chief executive Nóra Ní Loingsigh.
She said there is a need for all-Irish primary schools to have an opportunity to establish in areas of growing population as well as in areas of stable population where there is demand for all-Irish education. “We believe that a change of patron or ethos will not take place in schools for a long time and that in the meantime, many children will lose out on the opportunity to be bilingual at a young age and all the advantages this entails,” Ms Ní Loingsigh wrote.
Irish Examiner
Minister on collision course with gaelscoileanna
May 3, 2011
EDUCATION Minister Ruairi Quinn faces a showdown with the country’s growing number of gaelscoileanna over controversial proposals for setting up new primary schools.
They claim plans for approving schools in the future will not protect the minority position of all-Irish education.
And they dismiss as unworkable a suggestion that the issue could be dealt with by setting up all-Irish units within English-medium schools.
The proposals are contained in a new report done for the Department of Education by the Commission of School Accommodation.
Objections have been lodged by Gaelscoileanna Teo, a support body for 139 Irish primary schools in the Republic, and An Foras Patrunachta, a patron of 57 Irish language schools.
The commission reviewed the procedures for the setting up of new primary schools in light of the rapid population growth and demand from parents for greater diversity.
It was concerned with the question of physical need for a new school, which is separate, although linked, to patronage — the matter of who runs the schools.
Primary school pupil numbers are predicted to grow by 64,000 by 2018, some of whom will be accommodated in existing schools. However, there will be a need for new schools in areas that have grown rapidly in recent years, such as west Dublin.
Current rules allow for a new primary school to be established once 17 pupils have been identified, but the new plans will require higher minimum numbers and up to three class streams for each year.
Key recommendations include a survey of parents in newly established areas to decide on the type of school and campus-style arrangements, where schools come together on a single site and share facilities.
Letters of objection from Gaelscoileanna Teo and An Foras Patrunachta have been published as appendices to the report.
An Foras Patrunachta chief executive Caoimhin O hEaghra claims the report “places an obstacle to the provision of all-Irish education to the children of the country”.
He said it was likely that those looking for an all-Irish education would be in a minority at first, so a parental survey would not meet their needs.
Gaelscoileanna Teo acting chief executive Nora Ni Loinsigh agreed it would be difficult to establish an all-Irish school on the basis of a survey of parents.
She said the experience of Gaelscoileanna was that all-Irish units in English-medium schools did not work. She said that seven closed at second-level in the past 10 years due to lack of support by the department.
– Katherine Donnelly
Irish Independent
