Coláiste Ráithín on East Coast FM
May 23, 2012
On Tuesday 22nd May 2012 after the 11o’clock news, The Morning Show with Declan Meehan, on East Coast FM, is revisiting the situation regarding Coláiste Ráithín’s accommodation.
Cairde Ráithín/Coláiste Ráithín Parent’s Association understands that Michael Lawlor, Chairman, Co. Wicklow VEC and also Coláiste Ráithín Board Member, will be on the show, together with Paul Moore, Spokesperson, Cairde Ráithín, to discuss recent developments concerning the re-location of the Coláiste into a new school building. This interview follows on from a recent programme by Declan Meehan with Bray Town Councillor Mick Glynn (also a Coláiste Ráithín Board Member) and Paul Moore on Monday 30th of April last. Councillor Glynn had then anticipated that there would be positive developments arising from a scheduled meeting between Wicklow VEC and the Department of Education and Skills two days later on the 2nd May. This turned out not to be the case, as the Department turned down Wicklow VEC’s request to fund services and an access road into the old Bray Golf Club Site in order to enable Coláiste Ráithín to be located there.
Cairde Ráithín expect the discussion will refer to the recent correspondence between the Minister for Education and Bray Town Councillor John Brady and also the correspondence between the Minister’s Private Secretary with Coláiste Ráithín parent Art O’Laoghaire, both letters confirming this position in regard to the old Golf Club site.
You can listen to the show here: http://eastcoast.fm/onair/programmes/morningshow (the feature on Coláiste Ráithín is in part 2, after the news) and further information on the school’s campaign is available here.
Babhta Ceannais Beo! 11 Bealtaine 2012 @ an RCC Leitir Ceanainn
May 22, 2012
Gaelcholáiste na Mara – Lá Spóirt Idirscoile
May 22, 2012
Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh wins national award
May 18, 2012
Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh in Knocknacarra recently won the All-Ireland Final in the Féile Scoil Drámaíochta for 2012 in Mullingar, Co.Westmeath.
Rang 4, under the direction of their teacher Fergal Ó Mainín, won the musical category with their production as Gaeilge of Charles Dickens’ ‘Oliver Twist’. The musical achieved Scoth Léiriú na Féile in the Co. Galway competition and also came through the Connacht Finals to qualify for the All Ireland Final in Mullingar.
All involved put in a huge effort and the school has thanked múinteoir Deirdre, who played the music throughout the production, Geraldine Holmes, who did the make-up, and all the parents who helped out backstage.
Six members of the cast will travel to the Celtic Suite in Croke Park tomorrow, Thursday 17 May, to accept the national award on behalf of their class.
www.galwayindependent.com
Publication of Irish language survey welcomed
May 18, 2012
Ballymoney Sinn Féin Councillor Cathal McLaughlin has welcomed the publication of a new survey on attitudes towards the Irish language.
The survey was carried out by the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure, with respondents from across the north. It will help formulate Irish Language policy within the department.
The survey found that people felt there should be more opportunities for people to learn Irish in the North. Additionally 81% of respondents believed pupils should be able to choose it as a school subject if they wish. 52% believed that it is important the North does not lose its Irish language traditions, while 49% believed it to be important to the region’s culture. 41% believed the language should be supported and encouraged throughout the North.
Finally over half of all respondents thought that Irish should be offered as an option on documents, leaflets and notices where other languages are offered.
Welcoming the findings of the survey Cloughmills Sinn Féin councillor Cathal McLaughlin said: “I welcome the findings of this survey. It demonstrates the huge support there is for the Irish Language across the north. The language movement here in the north is hugely energetic and enthusiastic. Over the past decade there has been a significant growth in the numbers of people learning, speaking and developing the Irish Language. The huge network of Naíscoileanna, bunscoileanna and gaelscoileanna across the north in recent years are just one small measure of this.
“As a political party, we have also tried to facilitate the demand locally to learn the language by employing an Irish Language Development officer who oversees the expansion of ‘ranganna’ or classes throughout the district.
“Additionally we provide bursaries to the large number of people who go to Gaeltacht areas to improve on their conversational Irish throughout the year. Locally we have witnessed such need and demand, as was outlined in the survey.”
Cllr McLaughlin concluded by saying: “In welcoming this report I would also call on local people to get involved with the development of the Irish Language by joining the various classes throughout the district and play your part in developing our ‘teanga duchais’ or native language.
www.ballymoneytimes.co.uk
Paráid mhór Ghaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh
May 18, 2012
On an unjust Irish oral examination
May 18, 2012
A leaving cert student writes:
I have just taken my Leaving Certificate Irish oral exams. In my experience, these exams, which are worth 40 per cent of the Irish mark, are conducted in an unjust and utterly inadequate way. I spoke to friends in my own and other schools about their experiences and discovered many anomalies and problems.
The problems experienced in various schools, as related to me by peers, range from examiners not being fluent in the language they are supposedly testing to the tests being carried out in different ways from one school to the next. Once again, I would like to make it clear that these problems were experienced in a number of schools, not just one, and these stories were heard from a number of different students.
A quick example: The new oral contains a section called “sraith pictúirí”’ or 20 short stories based on a sequence of pictures.
Many students found this to be the hardest part of the exam as it required you to know and explain 20 different short stories in Irish. The story was meant to be chosen at random in the exam so that we would have no notion of what we would get. Here lies the inconsistency.
In a number of schools (who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons) the examiner asked the students which picture they had a preference for and proceeded to take that picture and examine the students on it. What this means is that you now have some students getting to choose their favourite picture, while with other students it isleft purely to chance. These pictures range in difficulty.
If these exams were of no significance I would not be writing this letter. However, these orals are worth two or three grades by themselves and can determine the results you get. And when students are competing against each other for a limited number of places in college, it is simply unjust. A number of other students reported to me that the examiner was not fluent enough to cope with their standard and told one of them to just talk for 10 minutes, instead of asking any questions.
This raises the question of screening. Do these same people end up correcting the Leaving Cert exam papers? If it is the case that these same examiners have the same lack of interest in the work they do correcting exams over the summer, it unfortunately undermines the entire system.
While I appreciate that it is a difficult task to monitor the vast number of examiners across the country, something must be done to fix the problems outlined above. A screening process must be either put in place or rectified (if it already exists) to ensure that the reputation and relevance of the Leaving Certificate is maintained.
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This column is designed to give a voice to those within the education system who wish to speak out anonymously. Contributions are welcome.
E-mail sflynn@irishtimes.com
www.irishtimes.com
Coláiste Samhraidh i gCeatharlach
May 18, 2012
Disadvantaged Primary Schools
May 18, 2012
A chara, –
We, the parents of Scoil Bhreandáin, Eachléim, Blacksod, Co Mayo, write in relation to the withdrawal of a concessionary post from our school on August 31st.
A Gaeltacht school, we are one of 16 rural disadvantaged primary schools which Enda Kenny has chosen to abandon. When cuts to Deis urban schools were reversed, under pressure from Labour TDs, 140 concessionary posts were saved. However, there was a blanket cut on the remaining 16 posts located in rural Ireland. How significant is this from a rural-based Taoiseach? When these posts were allocated, they were done so on the basis of disadvantaged status. Today these 140 posts are being saved on that same basis; however, our rural disadvantage is being ignored. This is a cruel injustice.
Some 80 per cent of us are without third-level education, with 60 per cent male unemployment, 58 per cent female unemployment, with 29 per cent with primary education only, and 50 per cent without work skills. These are but some of the frightening statistics that Enda Kenny has chosen to ignore in his home county. Perhaps he felt our story would fade into oblivion.
The loss of this concessionary teacher at one of the most difficult times our economy has ever faced is going to add to the level of disadvantage that children in peripheral rural communities already face. Our school lost a permanent post in 2011 through the abolition of the Deis rural co-ordinator and will lose another permanent post in 2015.
Our school will lose 66 per cent of its teaching staff in 48 months when GAM [General Allocation Model] hours are factored in.
As a Gaeltacht school at the tip of the Mullet peninsula, we are surrounded by water on three sides. We are on the periphery of Mayo, Ireland and northwestern Europe. So much so that a weather forecast sent from Blacksod actually deferred D-Day landings in 1944! “An ghaoth aduaidh bíonn sé cruaidh.” Unfortunately, our own Government TDs – Enda Kenny, Michael Ring, John O’Mahoney and Michelle Mulherin – are now helping a fierce northerly wind in 2012.
Iarann muid orthu an fód a sheasamh do mhuintir na tuaithe agus a mhunitir féin. All children should be cherished equally, regardless of their address.
– Yours, etc,
TREASA UÍ MHUIRITHE,
agus tuismitheoirí eile,
Scoil Bhreandáin,
Eachléim,
Blacksod, Co Mayo
www.irishtimes.com
Teanga agus Trioblóidí
May 18, 2012
