Leaders to give free talk on Gaelic in education

May 10, 2013

The heads of two Western Isles education institutions are to give a free talk on Gaelic in education.

Nicolson Institute rector Dr Frances Murray, and Lews Castle College UHI principal Iain Macmillan, will explore the challenges and opportunities associated with Gaelic in education. Topics will include the impact of the curriculum for excellence and community and partnership working.

The talk, which will be delivered at the Nicolson Institute later this month, is part of a series of free Gaelic lectures taking place this year. Organised by the University of the Highlands and Islands, the series marks the 60th anniversary of Lews Castle College UHI, a partner of the university.

Based on the theme of Gaelic in modern life, the lectures recognise Gaelic as an integral part of Scotland’s heritage and national identity. Head of BBC ALBA, Margaret Mary Murray, spoke about Gaelic media in Glasgow earlier this year and a lecture on Gaelic and publishing will take place in Benbecula in June.

The talks also tie in with courses offered by the university, which include degrees in Gaelic language and culture; Gaelic with education; Gaelic and development and a higher education certificate in Gaelic and communication. All of these courses are offered through Lews Castle College UHI.

Highlighting one of the areas he will speak about in the lecture, Iain Macmillan said: “We have been very successful at engaging learners in Gaelic language acquisition, but we are less successful at engaging people who have been brought up in Gaelic households or communities in developing their language skills for everyday use.

“People like myself are all too often intimidated when confronted with Gaelic learners who, as a result of their learning, have developed what appears to be a wider vocabulary and proper grammar. “We need to improve our confidence and willingness to use the language if it is to thrive in our communities.”

Dr Frances Murray added: “To ensure we consolidate the improvements made in Gaelic medium provision and before we can look to further expansion, we must be very clear about where the challenges lie.”

James Fraser, principal and vice-chancellor of the university, welcomed the lecture, saying: “We are delighted that Dr Frances Murray and Iain Macmillan are speaking as part of this lecture series.

“The University of the Highlands and Islands is spread across the Gàidhealtachd and aspires to be central to the maintenance and revival of the Gaelic Language. Lews Castle College UHI is vital to the university’s commitment to and aspirations for Gaelic.”

The Gaelic in education talk will take place from 7pm to 9pm on Thursday May 16th at the Nicolson Institute, Stornoway. Parts of the lecture will be delivered in Gaelic and there will also be simultaneous interpretation into English available through headphones.

To book a FREE place, contact the university’s events team on 01463 279 344 or at events@uhi.ac.uk

And to find out more about the university’s lecture series or Gaelic courses, visit www.uhi.ac.uk

www.stornowaygazette.co.uk

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Mind your language

May 10, 2013

You reported on May 7 that those attending “fee-charging schools and those who receive an all-Irish education are most likely to go straight to college from school” and that “pupils attending schools in disadvantaged areas are most likely to drop out”.

However, you failed to note that Irish-speaking schools also operate in disadvantaged areas and, in these areas, provide far better results than the norm.

Also, if disadvantaged areas are stripped out, Irish-speaking schools also outperform fee-paying schools, which do not operate in disadvantaged areas.

Cllr C Enright
Downpatrick, Co Down

www.independent.ie

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Time to scrap Irish exam bias

May 10, 2013

It emerged this week that pupils attend-ing private schools and those opting to take the Leaving Certificate through Irish were in the two highest categories that progressed to third-level education directly.
I have no issue with private education as people pay extra for this resource and should expect a delivery on their investment. However, I do have an issue with the Leaving Cert through Irish.

People opting to do the exam through Irish have a com-petitive advantage over their peers, both private and state. They are awarded extra points for nothing and therefore have an unfair advantage. It is now mainstream to do the Leaving in Irish and it’s time to re-move this distorted corruption of the State exam points system.

The argument for getting extra points through Irish is not clear , Ibelieve it is a benefit for opting to do the exam in the ‘native’ language rather than the everyday language of Ireland [English]. However ,if one were to be rational about it, there are many immigrant children now in Ireland doing their Leaving in their non-native second language, English. Surely they should be given a similar advantage for completing the exam in their non-native tongue?

Let’s level the playing field here and see how the statistics read in six years’ time. It is interesting to see that 10% of a gap ex-ists between Irish opting students and the next English opting exam students. Ibe-lieve the Irish opting student gets 10% of the marks they didn’t get, free gratis, which ranges between 0 and 6%. I suspect the gap would narrow should the English opt-ing student get those extra marks. It’s enough to push a student up a grade and up in points!

The other item to note, is it time to drop the compulsory requirement to do Irish in non-Irish schools? This would truly level the playing field, and those passionate about Irish could attend and do Irish as a Leaving subject, do all their subjects through Irish with no extra advantage, and those who do not wish to do so could opt out altogether from doing Irish as a subject and restore parity by selecting a subject more suited to their aptitudes. The State exam would then at least be the same for everyone, at present it is not.

Being advantageous to one group at the mercy of others lessens its worth, like it or not. The statistics may be a bit more credible also as they will compare like-for -like.

Brian McKnight
Carrigaline
Co Cork

www.irishexaminer.com

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