A call for papers for a conference on Irish-medium Education
February 2, 2017
A call for papers for a conference on Irish-medium Education/Immersion education to be held in St Mary’s University College, Belfast on 3 May 2017:
A letter to the editor of the Irish Independent
February 2, 2017
Dear Sir/Madam,
In her recent opinion article Language a bigger barrier than baptism (Irish Independent, 21 January 2017), Sarah Carey tells readers that she often quotes the example of Finland in addressing “nationalistic Irish language nonsense”, which, as far as she is concerned, is “the ultimate barrier in the Irish education system.”
Acknowledging many of Finland’s enviable achievements in education, she proceeds to use that country’s example to attack Irish-medium education in Gaelscoileanna as a “ruthless obstacle to foreigners.”
Assured of her understanding of Finnish education, Ms Carey regrets that “alas space prevents me from elucidating”.
Ms Carey has previous form in the matter. In Parents, not priests, driving segregation. The Irish Times blames religion for segregating Irish children. What about Gaelscoileanna (sic) (Irish Independent, 1 March 2015) she made much the same claim with “alas, space prevents me from elaborating”.
When recently considering the net effect of Gaelscoileanna on Irish society, Ms Carey couldn’t “help thinking of the World War II arguments of George Orwell that pacifists were objectively pro-Nazi”. Why? “Gaelscoileanna,” she argues, “with their almost 100pc native Irish demographic, are objectively segregationist.”
Ms Carey was just as big into the whole war theme in her 2015 missive. “If you’re going to fight a war over segregation in schools, identifying the real problem is a good start.” In her eyes, Irish-medium education is the enemy as aided and abetted by “families in the Gaelscoileanna (who) sail along blissfully free of moral challenge.” She thus paints many Irish families less as morally-driven pacifists and more like amoral Vichy-style profiteers I think.
Whenever Nazi comparisons are inappropriate, we may question the validity of arguments proposed.
Ms Carey argues that Finland’s educational reforms have succeeded because “everyone did better when there was no choice” because all children in a given locality went to the same school.
Pasi Sahlberg, the renowned Finnish educator, can help Ms Carey with her poor grasp of choice in Finland’s education success.
In Finland, the elimination of consumerist choice was targeted at the way education can be packaged as a market-driven product where an increasing number of profit-motivated private operators compete with different ‘value propositions’ in different customer segments based on differing incomes and social status. (Although not a fan of private schooling as a matter of general principle, Mr Sahlberg differentiates between mission-driven schools charging fees such as those in Ireland and profit-and-greed-driven academies more recently introduced by “competition raises standards” ideologies in other countries.)
Mr Sahlberg puts it this way: “The question is not, however, choice or no choice. It is about whether we have a good school for all children or just for some. In the end we need to work out how we manage parental choice so that it doesn’t harm equity.”
While Finland has indeed achieved remarkable reforms of its education system in a way that Ireland most clearly hasn’t, there is in fact a very significant element of choice in Finnish education that will likely shock Ms Carey. Not only is this matter of choice immensely significant in the context of a modern and open Finnish society, it is of course immediately relevant to debate here about the role of Irish-medium education and the Irish language in Ireland.
For all her readiness to elaborate and elucidate on Finland’s education reforms, it seems clear that Ms Carey doesn’t know that Finland’s education policymakers are strongly committed to the provision of choice in schools’ language medium for instruction and learning. Mr Sahlberg again: “It is noteworthy that Finland is a trilingual country, where Finnish, Swedish, and Sami are all official languages.”
Finland’s constitution and its parliamentary legislation protect the language rights of the country’s different language communities and heritages. There is a very substantive offering of choice between Finnish-medium education and Swedish-medium education extending from pre-school all the way to postgraduate studies at doctoral level. Demographics dictate that the opportunity to learn through the medium of Swedish is not fully nationwide but Folktinget (a lobby group for the rights of Swedish-speaking Finns) suggest that up to 99pc of students who want to learn through Swedish can do so within the state-school system. Resources are also committed to Sami-language education provision in the far north of the country.
Finland’s education policymakers and world-renowned experts are not exhorting citizens to “look at who’s doing the excluding” or how Swedish-speaking Finns are “objectively segregationist.” Finland does respect and tolerance much better than Ms Carey.
Finland is not only a world leader in the quality of state-school education, it is also recognised as a leader in language education and plurilingualism. Monta rautaa tulessa (many irons in the fire) sums up how Finns regard, value and take pride in their language skills.
Not all is perfect but there is much to learn from Finland if we pay attention to its real lessons instead of Ms Carey’s alternative facts.
Some facts will be clear. Ms Carey will not be able to “elucidate” how Finnish-speaking, Swedish-speaking or Sami-speaking Finns regard their language heritage as nationalistic nonsense. Nor will she be able to “elaborate” on how Finns regard choice of language medium for education as a ruthless obstacle to foreigners wishing to integrate into Finnish society.
There is concern in Finland about uneven concentration of immigrant learners across the education system. Sahlberg once more: “For example, in the city of Espoo, there are schools with more than 40% immigrant student populations, while some schools have practically no immigrants.” Immigrants unsurprisingly tend to choose the Finnish-speaking schools of the majority demographic rather than Swedish-speaking ones. Sahlberg nevertheless believes that “Finland has been able to enhance equity in education while schools and classroom have become more diverse”.
Interestingly, Sahlberg notes research showing that immigrant students in Finland performed significantly better in PISA tests than their peers in other countries. Based on the same studies, he also believes there is a threshold of about 20% “in the proportion of immigrant students per class after which the learning achievement of all students in that class begins to decline”.
Alas, space prevents further discussion of Finland’s and Ireland’s shared characteristics and different experiences. However, I would like to add that the success of Gaelscoileanna and the Irish-medium education movement clearly mirrors aspects of what has worked so successfully in Finland. With special regard to the development of language skills in both Irish and in foreign languages, Finland offers important lessons for policymakers and other stakeholders in Irish education.
Equally, the success of Gaelscoileanna and the Irish-medium education movement also offer key lessons for policymakers and stakeholders interested in the development of language skills for living and prospering in a global world. Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin.
In summing up, I will paraphrase Ms Carey from 2015: Since her analysis is flawed, so is her suggested solution. Her real problem is her obsession with Irish parents who choose to enrich their children’s lives with an education in the language of their national heritage. It is she who would have heart failure if she were presented with a system that was even more like Finland’s.
Mark Reynolds,
Artane
Dublin 5
(Gaeilge) Ar mhaith leat Gradam an Séala Eorpach Teanga a bhuachan?
February 2, 2017
Gaeloideachas statement on the divestment of patronage and provision for Irish-medium education
February 1, 2017
It was announced on the 30th of January that the Department of Education & Skills have a new plan to accelerate provision of multi- and non-denominational schools through divestment of patronage. The Minister’s statement can be read on the Department of Education & Skills website: https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2017-Press-Releases/PR17-01-30.html
Gaeloideachas welcomes the Minister’s commitment to progress regarding the divestment process. We recognise that it will provide Irish-medium schools with the opportunity to consider changes to their school’s patronage, or to their school’s religious ethos under their current patron. We understand that there will be a demand for this amongst Irish-medium schools, which is to be welcomed, and we hope that the divestment process will give schools the conviction and support necessary to make changes when it is clearly the wish of their school community.
Gaeloideachas is worried, however, that those communities who do not have Irish-medium primary education available to them will be neglected. The revised divestment process was not discussed with Education partners, including Gaeloideachas, in advance of the Minister’s statement, and we were given no opportunity to discuss our concerns. Neither assessment of demand for nor the provision of Irish-medium education is evident in the proposed process. This is in spite of provision for Irish-medium education being a primary aim of the divestment process as it was originally conceived.
The ‘live transfer’ approach to divestment outlined in the Minister’s statement is not appropriate when changing the language ethos of a school. It seems unlikely that this new process will allow for additional provision of Irish-medium schools. 30% of Irish-medium schools outside Gaeltacht areas are oversubscribed at present, and there are many areas where children have no access at all to Irish-medium education at primary level. Research published by the Economic and Social Research Institute stated that 23% of people would choose an Irish-medium primary school if there was one available to them, but at present the schools can cater for just 8% of our primary school children. No provision has been made in the proposed process to increase the number of places to meet this demand; children who would attend Irish-medium schools if there was an opportunity for them to are being excluded.
Gaeloideachas has written to the Minister for Education & Skills, Richard Bruton, and to the Secretary General of the Department of Education & Skills, Seán Ó Foghlú, to request urgent consultation with the Education Partners before the revised process is implemented, so that a fair opportunity be given to all to raise concerns about the potential impact of the process on children, parents and schools. Schools are welcome to contact us directly to discuss the implications the process might have for their own school – contact Clare on 01-8535193 or clare@gaelscoileanna.ie.
(Gaeilge) Folúntas: Múinteoir Treoirghairme á lorg ag Coláiste Íosagáin
February 1, 2017
(Gaeilge) Folúntas: Múinteoir Gearmáinise á lorg ag Coláiste Íosagáin
February 1, 2017
Coláiste na Rinne – Oíche Eolais
January 30, 2017
Scoil chónaithe atá i gColáiste na Rinne ar son daltaí idir deich mbliain d’aois agus trí bliana deag d’aois. Má tá suim agat i ngaelscolaíocht, bheadh fáilte romhat ar an gceathrú lá deag de mhí Feabhra le eolas a fháil agus taispéantas scoile a fheiceáil.
Minister Bruton announces new plans to accelerate provision of multi- and non-denominational schools
January 30, 2017
The Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton TD, today announced new plans aimed at providing more multi-denominational and non-denominational schools across the country, in line with the choices of families and school communities.
The Programme for Government commits to increasing the number of multi-denominational and non-denominational schools with a view to reaching 400 by 2030. On current population growth trends, new schools will account for approximately one third of the additional multi-denominational schools required to hit this target, so transfers of existing schools from religious patronage will be required to hit the target.
(Following patronage processes which give significant weight to parental demand, the vast majority of new schools which are established come under multi-denominational patronage, and these processes will continue).
The new plans, which will provide additional multidenominational schools in either of the nation’s languages, will be implemented alongside the current process, which was commenced through the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism under previous Minister Quinn. That process identified a total of 28 areas where schools should be transferred through amalgamations and closures. This process will continue alongside the new process being announced today.
The new process will draw the lessons from previous model, which have only delivered a total of ten transfers to multidenominational schools. Those lessons include:
- The importance of working with the current landowner, school staff, school communities and local communities on a collaborative and open basis
- The downsides of amalgamation, closure and opening a new school as a model, given all the complexities, including legal complexities, that can be involved
- The possibilities of live transfers, whereby a school continues in being, with staff, pupils and the majority of the board of management remaining in place (if they wish) but transfers from the patronage of one organisation to another
- The value of a lease arrangement from the current landowner to the new patron, removing the need for complicated property transfer
Minister Bruton and his Department have consulted widely with the main school landowners, with different patron groups as well as a range of education stakeholders before developing the plans announced today. The Minister has written to the Catholic Bishops to outline his proposals and seeking their nominations to working groups which will need to develop detailed protocols for patronage reassignment implementation and school amalgamations.
Minister Bruton today also announced that Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board and Educate Together have agreed to start discussions in relation to a possible partnership to provide Educate Together second-level provision in the Newbridge area in Co. Kildare. Minister Bruton welcomed this development as an excellent example of constructive cooperation between patron bodies in introducing greater choice and diversity to the system along the lines already successfully concluded between City of Dublin ETB and Educate Together for Clonturk Community College in Whitehall in Dublin.
The Minister reiterated his view there is no one model that will provide the answer to this complex issue, there is room for a number of different multi- and non-denominational to respond to different parental wishes through the different process now in place, including existing providers like An Foras Patrunachta, the Community National Schools and Educate Together, in the context of an expanding population and increasing demand for multidenominational education.
Since Minister Bruton took office nine months ago, a total of 20 additional multidenominational schools have been established or sanctioned.
Minister Bruton said:
“My central target as Education Minister is to achieve the best education service in Europe. This means being the best at supporting disadvantaged students, the best at providing the skills needed for a growing economy, and also the best at dealing with complex issues around diversity, inclusion and parental choice.
“I believe that we should acknowledge the role of religious organisations in providing a system of national education for nearly two centuries. I also believe that a desire on behalf of many parents to have their children educated within their faith is welcome and should be respected.
“However Ireland has changed and continues to change. 96% of our primary schools are under religious patronage; only 66% of marriages last year were in religious ceremonies. While this may not be a direct proxy for choice of schooling, it is clear that there are many more parents seeking multidenominational education for their children than there are places in multidenominational schools.
“This new process for supporting transfers of schools to multidenominational patrons, in response to the wishes of local families, is based around principles of transparency and cooperation. We recognise the massive contribution that existing patrons have made to their communities over many years, and also the equally major contribution that local communities have made to developing their local school.
“Where the need for a transfer to a multidenominational patron is identified by surveys, the existing landowner, in cooperation with the local school community, will decide what multi-denominational patron to transfer to. The transfer will be by way of a live school transfer, with existing staff remaining in place, where this is the wish of the parties involved. In most cases the new patron will lease the building from the landowner.
“I believe this process is of major importance to the future of education in Ireland, and to providing a system which reflects the changing needs of families. I urge all parties to engage in this process constructively, with a view to reaching solutions that achieve the wishes of all involved”.
There will be two main stages to the new process:
1. Firstly, the identification phase. The Education and Training Boards, as the State’s local education authorities, will manage this phase. The ETBs will each identify towns or areas where there is likely to be demand from families for greater diversity and work with pre-school services to establish evidence of this demand among the cohort of pre-school parents, via surveys.
There will then be discussions between individual ETBs and the existing landowners concerning the possible transfer of existing schools to accommodate this demonstrated demand for diversity.
Each ETB will then prepare a report for the Department outlining the levels of demand within their functional areas and the responses of the existing patrons as to how this might be accommodated through the reconfiguration of existing school provision. This report will be published on the Department’s website, with quarterly reports on implementation.
2. Secondly, the implementation phase. In the event that the identification phase reveals a level of demand for multidenominational schools sufficient to justify transfer of at least one school from denominational to multidenominational patronage, a process will commence to give effect to that. There will be a role for the existing landowner in consulting with local community and school interests and take into account proposals from different prospective multidenominational patrons.
In most cases it is envisaged that transfer would be by way of voluntary live school transfer, rather than the amalgamation and closure model which was followed previously, with all of the complications and legal difficulties and time delays involved. It is expected that in many cases the school property will be leased from the existing landowner.
The Identification Phase will be carried out by the relevant ETB as follows:
Identification of demand for diversity in individual towns/areas on the basis of views collected from parents of pre-school children in those areas.
Discussions between ETBs and existing patrons concerning accommodation of the demonstrated demand for diversity.
Reports from ETBs to the Department of Education and Skills outlining levels of demand for diversity within their functional areas and the responses of patrons as to how this might be accommodated within existing school provision.
Publication of reports from ETBs on demand for diversity and responses of patrons and follow-up by way of quarterly updates on progress.
The Implementation Phase will involve existing Patrons as follows:
Consultation with local schools and community on accommodating the demand for diversity by transferring patronage of an existing school to a new multi- or non-denominational patron.
Agreement on transfer to a new patron following discussions with all potential patrons and school/community consultation.
Application to the Minister for transfer of patronage of the selected school.
Background
2017 marks five years since the publication of the report of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector.
The Forum was guided by a highly expert Advisory Group and held public sessions and consulted widely on the issues arising.
The Forum’s Report was published in 2012 and recommended steps to ensure that the education system at primary level could provide a sufficiently diverse number and range of primary schools to cater for children of all religions and none.
One of the principal recommendations was on divesting of school patronage, where it was envisaged that existing patrons would make buildings surplus to requirements available for greater diversity if sufficient demand for a school under different patronage could be demonstrated.
However, the reality is that, despite very substantial survey work and negotiations undertaken by the Department, only ten new multi-denominational schools have been established under the Patronage Divestment process over that period.
Patronage of schools involves ownership of schools and school property and in the consultation process, it became clear that divestment is seen as taking away property from the patron or trustees as landowners.
The landowner has misgivings and there is no way forward without meeting these concerns
The common misconception, that the State could simply withdraw funding from denominational primary schools and use it to establish newmulti-denominational and non-denominational schools in the same building instead, is exactly that – a misconception. The ownership and control of school property is acomplex issue, both constitutionally and in terms of property law and rights.
Typically, it can involve religious trusts, trustees, religious orders, the bishops both as landowners and school patrons and the State.
The ownership of the vast majority of school property by religious orders and trusts is an historical legacy of the way in which Ireland’s education system developed.
In some cases where church authorities have been amenable to transferring property, local parish communities have resisted divestment on the basis that they have contributed to these valuable community assets over the years.
Another difficulty with progressing patronage divesting was that the process relied substantially onschool premises becoming available as a result of school amalgamations or closures which, in themselves, can be lengthy, costly and contentious processes.
In devising this roadmap to accelerate the transfer of patronage in order to increase the number of non-denominational and multi-denominational schools, the Minister proposes to concentrate on the reconfiguration of existing school provision.
By this the Minister means facilitating voluntary transfers of existing schools to alternative, non-denominational or multi-denominational patrons in areas which demonstrate a demand.
Scléip Gael Linn 2017, Croaobhchomórtas i gCluain Tarbh!
January 30, 2017
Beidh craobhchomórtas Scléip Gael Linn 2017, an comórtas tallainne le béim ar na healaíona comhaimseartha, ar siúl in amharclann Clasach, Cluain Tarbh ( www.clasac.ie ) Déardaoin, 2 Feabhra 2017. Beidh suas le 300 aisteoirí, ceoltóirí, rinceoirí agus amhránaithe ó iar-bhunscoileanna lán-Ghaeilge agus Gaeltachta ó Dhún na nGall go dtí Daingean Uí Chúise, mar aon lena gcuid múinteoirí agus tuismitheoirí, i láthair don ócáid.
Cuirfear tús leis na comórtais ag 11.00a.m. agus beidh críoch leis an lá ar a 5.30p.m. Bhí ceithre réamhbhabhta réigiúnacha ar siúl ag i rith mhí na Samhna/mí na Nollag –i Muineachán, i nGaillimh, i mBaile Átha Cliath agus i Mainistir Fhear Maí, Co. Chorcaí, ag a roghnaíodh na hiomaitheoirí don chraobhchomórtas.
I measc na moltóirí a bheidh ann ar an lá mór, beidh an léiritheoir drámaí, Síle Ní Dhuibhne, an damhsóir, Breandán de Gaillí, agus na ceoltóirí agus cumadóirí, Méabh Ní Thuathaláin, Edel Ní Churraoin, Enda Reilly agus Pádraig Ó Conghaile ( nó MC Muipéad )!
Bronnfar duaiseanna ar na buaiteoirí i ngach rannóg agus Gradam Scléip ar an amhránaí/ceoltóir aonair nó ar an ngrúpa is mó a sheasann amach. Don chéad uair chomh maith, bronnfar duais Gradam Cheoil Nós don amhrán nua-chumtha is fearr sna comórtais amhránaíochta, canta ag duine aonair nó ag grúpa. Is iad Seán Ó Ceallaigh, Gael Linn, agus Niamh Ní Chróinín, Raidió Rí Rá, a bheidh mar láithreoirí ar an ócáid. Táimid ag súil le han-lá – beidh fáilte mhór roimh lucht féachana !
Group of six retain a perfect record
January 30, 2017
FEE-paying schools continue to dominate when it comes to sending students to third level, figures compiled over the past eight years reveal.
Out of more than 700 schools nationwide, just six have maintained a 100pc record in sending students on to third level in that time. Just one non-fee-paying school has maintained that perfect record since 2009.
By comparing the percentage of students who were admitted to a university after studying in a school with a perfect record, it is possible to distinguish which is the best performer overall.
Figures compiled by the Sunday Independent show Glenstal Abbey, Co Limerick, has emerged as the county’s best-performing school, up two places from third on last year’s list.
It pipped Presentation Brothers College in the Mardyke, Cork, to the honour by a narrow margin of just 0.08pc.
An analysis of the data shows Glenstal Abbey has sent proportionally more of its students to third level, with 292 boys sitting the Leaving Certificate at the boarding school since 2009.
Digging deeper it is possible to see that the school, which charges a €18,950 seven-day boarding fee, sends a majority of its students on to Dublin-based universities.
University College Dublin has admitted 79 Glenstal students since 2009, Trinity College admitted 68 and another 12 former pupils went on to study in Dublin City University.
Dublin leads the way as the county with the highest number of schools to maintain a perfect record in the past eight years. Three of the six schools to send all of their students on to college since 2009 are located in the capital – an unsurprising statistic given the size of its population. It is also the only county in Leinster with schools that have maintained a perfect record in the past eight years.
All of the remaining schools with 100pc records are in Munster, with counties Limerick, Cork and Tipperary represented.
Glenstal Abbey sent 80.82pc of its students to university over the past eight years. The remaining students went on to study in other colleges. Presentation Brothers College in Cork sent 80.74pc of its students to university in the same period.
Both are fee-paying, all-boys schools.
Some 75pc (662) of the 883 pupils who sat the Leaving Certificate in Presentation Brothers College went on to take up courses in University College Cork. Cork Institute of Technology is also well served by Presentation Brothers College, taking in 154 students from the school since 2009.
The school slipped one place in the Sunday Independent league table over the past 12 months to second place, while the next best performing school – Mount Anville School, in Dublin 14 – slipped one place to third.
Mount Anville remains the capital’s highest-placed school and is also the country’s best performing all-girls school, with 79pc of its students placed in universities between 2009 and September last year.
Former pupils have tended to stay in the capital – with more than half (52pc) of the 831 students who went through the school since 2009 moving on to study courses in University College Dublin. Trinity College took in 164 Mount Anville pupils and 111 went on to the Dublin Institute of Technology.
Colaiste Iosagain, Stillorgan, is fourth overall and the second placed Dublin school and all-girls school.
It claims the title of the country’s best performing non fee-paying school.
Cistercian College in Roscrea, Co Tipperary, is the fifth best school on the list with all of its 338 former pupils securing college places in the past eight years – with 71pc placed in universities.
St Mary’s College in Rathmines, Dublin 6, is the last remaining school to hold a perfect record when it comes to sending students on to third level. Some 60pc secured places in universities since 2009.
