Cóisír Clanna Gaeilge an Eachréidh
December 3, 2013
Gaeilge Locha Riach – Féilire Imeachtaí
December 3, 2013
Trinity College launches new language scheme
December 3, 2013
Minister of State for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Dinny McGinley TD officially launched Trinity College Dublin’s second Irish language scheme on 27 November 2013.
The new language scheme describes the services to be developed and improved to better cater for members of the public and members of staff wishing to do business with TCD through Irish and will build upon the provision established in the First Language Scheme which was in place from 2010-2012.
The language scheme arises from the Official Languages Act 2003 that gives practical effect to the constitutional status of Irish as the first official language of the State. The scheme will be in place for three years or until the Minister of State for the Gaeltacht ratifies a third scheme under Section 15 of the Act.
Launching the new scheme, Minister of State McGinley said “Trinity College has long been renowned for the excellence of its Irish language learning and scholarship and the achievements of the college in protecting, nurturing and sustaining the language must be acknowledged”.
While implementing the second scheme, TCD authorities will focus on improvements to bilingual services in the following areas: Direct Customer Services; Interactive services; Websites; Communications and Media; Forms, publications and printed material; Information Technology; Staff recruitment, induction and Irish language training; Irish Language Residency Schemes and Seomra na Gaeilge. There are also commitments to the development of an Irish Language Policy and the instituting of Irish Language Awards.
TCD Secretary said that “Trinity College is proud to be among the first of the universities to launch a second scheme”, and Irish Language Officer Aonghus Dwane, added that the scheme “is the result of cooperation with a wide range of areas across the College community. This Scheme will ensure the embedding and strengthening of the central place of Irish in College life in the years ahead”.
Trinity College Dublin’s second language scheme can be read here.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Tenth anniversary of Gaelscoil na Daróige
December 2, 2013
Derry Irish language primary school, Gaelscoil na Daróige, is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year and has plans for continued growth.
The school opened its doors in 2003 with a handful of pupils but has grown and developed over the last decade and now has almost 80 children between the gaelscoil and naiscoil. Brian Mac Neachtain, manager of the gaelscoil said; “This year Naíscoil na Daróige celebrates its tenth year offering a bilingual education. This has given the parents the opportunity to give their child the gift of the Irish language in a part of Derry which formally had no Irish medium education facilities.”
Mr Mac Neachtain said the decade of Irish medium education has helped the development of the Irish language in the city. “Naíscoil and Gaelscoil na Daróige have been an enormous benefit to the development of the Irish language in this area. “From humble beginnings in terms of children attending the naíscoil and gaelscoil we have almost eighty children attending our school and a growing list of parents who desire a bilingual education for their children,” he said. As well as primary education through Irish, the school also offers preschool education services. “The children now start at our naíscoil at the age of three and then move up to our gaelscoil becoming fully bilingual in Irish and English by the age of eleven.
“Recent research has indicated that children attending Irish medium schools achieve higher results in mathematics and English than children attending English medium schools. “This type of research has increased demand and lead to our Irish speaking community expanding and developing with our facilities now being used every evening after school and even at the weekend for activities and events for the community. “We always see ourselves as a community school and have a great relationship with parents, whom we know on a first name basis. We try to involve whole families in the life of the school, from the younger brothers and sisters of pupils to the parents.
“They are all part of the wider school community,” he explained. The gaelscoil manager also said the school, which received official recognition from the Department of Education in 2009, will continue to grow work on a new permanent building expected to begin next summer. “We are looking forward to the future as the school continues to grow by year and the new preschool will be holding their annual open day on Wednesday December 4th from 4pm to 6pm. “New parents are welcome to come along and meet the staff and parents of children attending the naíscoil to view our facilities and get further information on bilingual education,” he said. Gaelscoil na Daróige currently employs four staff in its naíscoil and four teaching staff and two classroom assistants in its gaelscoil.
www.derryjournal.com
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com 02 Nollaig 2013
Schools celebrate after 20-year wait for upgrade ends with new build plans
December 2, 2013
SCHOOLS waiting for up to 20 years for a decent home are among those celebrating the Department of Education’s building programme for next year.
Almost 40 new primary- and post-primary schools will be built and many others will get extensions. Overwhelmingly, the focus of the programme is on new schools to cater for the rise in enrolments in areas that have experienced a large rise in population in recent years. Some projects will involve the replacement of old and dilapidated schools or the construction of permanent accommodation to replace pre-fabs. Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has announced a total of 70 major school building projects – either new schools or extensions – at both primary- and post-primary level. In one case, a Dublin primary school housed on the grounds of a GAA club is finally getting a permanent home.
By the time Gaelscoil Bharra in Cabra, Dublin, opens the doors of its new building in September 2015, it will have been waiting for 20 years. The school has been operating out of Naomh Fionnbarra GAA Club and principal Sean O Donghaile said he was “delighted” that its campaign was over. And, at an overcrowded primary school in Co Kerry, a 17-year campaign for a new building also comes to an end. Blennerville Primary School, outside Tralee, submitted an application for a new building in 1996. The 70 projects listed for construction are 22 new schools and 12 extensions at primary level, 12 new schools and 20 extensions at second-level and three new special schools and one extension. Overall, they will deliver over 27,500 permanent school places, of which about 21,000 will cater for rising enrolments.
Mr Quinn said his “primary aim is to ensure that every child growing up in Ireland can access a place in a classroom when they go to school”. Together with the school projects already announced in July and other ongoing projects from 2013, it means that a total of 168 major school projects will be on site next year.
EXPENDITURE
In addition, Mr Quinn said that a total of 44 major school projects had now reached substantial completion in 2013. As the population boom that started in the late 1990s works its way through the education system, enrolments at second-level will continue to grow up to at least 2024. Mr Quinn said €470m would be spent on primary- and post-primary infrastructure next year, with a projected expenditure on large-scale projects of over €320m. Total enrolment in both primary- and post-primary schools is expected to grow by over 70,000 between now and 2017 – over 45,000 at primary 25,000 at post-primary. It will be a boost for the construction industry and will support 3,200 direct jobs and 640 indirect jobs in 2014.
It is part of a €2bn five-year capital investment programme, launched March 2012 covering 275 new major school building projects to begin up to 2016. The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) welcomed the announcement but called on the department to ringfence 7.5pc of all future capital funding for the maintenance of existing buildings. INTO general secretary Sheila Nunan said it did not make economic sense to build new schools and extensions while at the same time allowing others to deteriorate.
www.independent.ie
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com 02 Nollaig 2013
Irish Independent – Katherine Donnelly
