Gaelscoil Phádraig – Turas Gaeltachta
July 7, 2011
Teacher training course reform
July 7, 2011
HUNDREDS of prospective primary teachers could be ineligible for training courses under higher standards of maths, Irish and English being demanded by the profession.
The Teaching Council is proposing major rises in the minimum Leaving Certificate grades needed in all three subjects for entry to the main primary teacher-training degrees.
Most of the 1,000 or so school-leavers who begin Bachelor of Education (BEd) programmes each year perform well above existing requirements, but the planned changes could rule out hundreds more who still meet Central Applications Office (CAO) points requirements.
More than 21,000 people applied through CAO last year for places on 30 Level 8 education degrees, which are mostly filled by entrants to BEd courses at the four largest colleges of education, who needed at least 470 out of 600 CAO points last year.
While the entry requirements have to be set in consultation with Education Minister Ruairi Quinn, school students considering applying for BEd courses could now require the following grades in Leaving Certificate to be eligible:
* Maths: Higher level C3 or ordinary level A1 (currently only a D3 in ordinary or higher level maths is needed)
* Irish: Higher level B1 (up from a C3)
* English: Higher level B1 (up from ordinary level C3 or higher level D3).
A Teaching Council spokesperson said it is not planned to introduce the changes until autumn 2016, when the students who start second-level education next September will be sitting the Leaving Certificate.
An Irish-language admissions test would be mandatory for primary teaching or teaching the language at second level, while those who sat the Leaving Certificate more than five years before entry would have to take an admissions test to show their competence at literacy and numeracy.
As well as the aforementioned changes, alterations to the duration of courses are to be made.
Mr Quinn is due to confirm an extra year for BEd primary teaching degrees, bringing them to four years’ duration, and an extension of the Postgraduate Diploma in Education for second-level teachers to two years, when he publishes the national literacy and numeracy strategy tomorrow.
The changes for primary level are expected to take effect for entrants to courses next year and for those beginning second-level teaching programmes in 2014.
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, July 07, 2011
Dianchúrsa Gaeilge do mhúinteoirí iar-bhunscoile Gaeltachta agus lán-Ghaeilge
July 6, 2011
Irish language must be valued
July 6, 2011
As a national school principal I worked hard over the years in trying to keep it to the forefront in as many ways as possible. It is a difficult thing to get students to realise the importance of their own language and to attain and keep their fluency. Much of that comes from the top down. A lot of the Government ministers don’t attach much importance to it. We had President Obama here and Queen Elizabeth II here and they used more Irish than many of our politicians would. We have a shyness about using our own language in public which needs to change. Encouragingly the language is getting more publicity and it is more to the forefront in recent years. However to get to a stage where a lot of people use it in the ordinary day is a problem. Schools have been falling down too in that it isn’t accorded much priority in a lot of schools.
With so many subjects to be done, some people might be questioning is it all that important but it is part of our heritage and part of what we are. No more than history and geography, both also now under threat at second level, Irish is so important in the development of a child. People often wonder how, after eight years in national school, someone might not leave with a certain amount of fluency but children follow the influences in the area and the influences at home. If they are supported at home and shown that it is important to learn the language, they pick up on that. They pick up the vibes and the attitudes. If they pick up that the parents don’t attach much importance every day, the children won’t take that step forward. Then, though, the child has to take that step forward themselves. That is the key moment, when he or she takes that step themselves in education as a whole. That applies to the Irish language as well. We’re fortunate here in that we’re very proud of the Irish language in Glenhest and of our place-names.
Maybe sometimes children are losing sight of the fact that we have something of value in our country. All the international influences are great but we have to have something to offer as well in terms our native language, our native games and all of that. We have an awful lot to offer, especially in this age where people feel disconnected. The Irish language has been a great part of my life in Castlebar and in Conradh na Gaeilge and all of that but I think that the Irish language can be a great connection with the past and with the future and we can do this and still accept and welcome all other cultures as well. We have something awfully valuable here and we can’t let it go. Beatha teanga í a labhairt. Seán Ó Cionfhaola was Principal of Cloondaff NS, Newport from 1965 until his retirement last Thursday. He is also a member of Conradh na Gaeilge.
The Mayo News – Seán Ó Cionfhaola
Raic leanúnach faoi Ghaelscoil i gCorcaigh
July 4, 2011
Spraoicheist Gael Linn i gCeatharlach
June 29, 2011
40 new schools to be established in next six years – Minister Quinn
June 28, 2011
The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., today announced that 20 new primary schools and 20 new post-primary schools are to be established in the next six years.
Announcing the new schools, the Minister said: “My Department is forecasting an increase of over 45,050 primary pupils and 24,900 post-primary pupils by the start of the 2017/18 school year.
“In order to meet the needs of our growing population of school going children, we will have to establish 40 new schools, as well as extending a number of existing schools.”
Of the 40 new schools, 17 will be in the Dublin area with a further twelve in the commuter belt of Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Louth.
There will be six new schools established in Cork, three in Galway, and one each in Wexford and Cavan. (Please see attached map showing the locations of the new schools)
These new schools will be in addition to the seven new primary schools opened in autumn 2010. The new schools will generally be sixteen-classroom primary schools and up to 1,000-student post-primary schools. The estimated capital cost of the establishment of the new schools is in the region of €380m and the programme of delivery will include some PPP projects. There will also be additional school extension projects which will be needed to cater for the growing school going population.
The Minister also announced the establishment of new arrangements for the recognition of new primary and second-level schools. Minister Quinn said: “With the significant number of new schools, there will be an opportunity for patrons to seek to apply for patronage of these schools.
“The new arrangements published by my Department today, provide a balanced approach to allow for applications to be made from prospective patrons for the establishment of schools.
“The criteria to be used in deciding on patronage of the new schools place a particular emphasis on parental demand for plurality and diversity of patronage.”
The announcement further emphasises the Minister’s commitment to ensure speedy implementation of the commitments in the Programme for Government on moving towards a more pluralist system of patronage at second level.
It also builds on the establishment by the Minister of Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector.
“Parental preferences should be at the centre of considerations about the type of school to be recognised,” said Minister Quinn.
“The new arrangements will provide that patron bodies proposing schools at either primary or second level will be asked to provide evidence of demand.”
The Minister also announced the establishment of a New Schools Establishment Group which will advise him on the patronage of the new schools following its consideration of a report on the applications to be prepared by the Department. The Group is to be chaired by Dr. Seamus McGuinness (retired senior lecturer in the Education Department at Trinity College Dublin) and also includes Ms. Sylda Langford (retired Director of the Office of the Minister for Children) and Prof. Seán Ó Riain (Sociology Department, NUI Maynooth).
The next steps in the process of establishing these new schools are:
- The Department will shortly inform patron bodies of the details of the first schools which are to be established.
- The patron bodies can then make applications for consideration.
- Department officials will draft a report based on these applications to be considered by the New Schools Establishment Group and it will submit a report with recommendations for consideration of the Minister.
www.education.ie
Increase in number of Irish language Pre-schools
June 28, 2011
The number of Naíonraí or Irish language pre-schools in Ireland has dramatically increased over the past few years. At the moment there are many vacancies available in this field and many opportunities have arisen working in naíonraí all over the country in places such as Offaly, Kilkenny, Co. Kildare, Dublin, Tralee and Wicklow.
A naíonra is a playgroup for children who come together daily in a pleasant, cheerful and safe environment, under the guidance and supervision of a Naíonra Leader. It is run solely through the medium of Irish.
A significant amount of naíonraí have opened around the country in the past two years. In 2009 five new naíonraí opened, last year seventeen new naíonraí opened and this years it is expected that over twenty new naíonraí will be opened by September in towns and villages around Ireland.
Speaking about the huge increase in the number of newly established naíonraí which have opened in recent years the Development Officer with Forbairt Naíonraí Teoranta Seán Ó hAdhmaill says that there were two main reasons for this increase in new naíonraí being opened in recent times.
He attributes much of that increase to the the Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme which was introduced in January last year along with changes in the recruitment of Naíonraí Directors.
Forbairt Naíonraí Teoranta, (FNT) which is an all-Ireland voluntary organisation that supports the promotion of education and care services in Irish for children from birth welcomed these two significant changes.
The Early Childhood Care and Education scheme (ECCE scheme) assists parents who wish to send their child/children to play-school or naíonraí for a year free of change. This scheme is aimed at children who would be attending primary school the following year.
This new scheme created a demand in pre-schools and naíonraí and opened a new window of opportunity for naíonraí in towns and villages all over Ireland.
Under recent changes to recruitment practices, all applicants who are undertaking an interview to become a Naíonra Director must now undergo an Irish language interview, therefore the standard of Irish in the naíonraí is at a very high level.
In recent years there have been more opportunities to establish a naíonra in various areas around the country. Some naíonraí grew from demand in areas which have Gaelscoileanna as some Gaelscoileanna require that new pupils entering their school have previously attended a naíonra and have a sufficient level of Irish. This leaves a greater demand for naíonraí as more and more people wish to educate their children through the medium of Irish.
For further information on naíonraí and and employment opportunities in the sector on Forbairt Naíonraí Teoranta: www.naionrai.ie.
© Gaelport.com 28 Meitheamh 2011
Choice of Irish language courses in Irish Universities
June 28, 2011
Those who sat this year’s state examinations are now celebrating since the exams came to an end last Friday. However, there are some who still have some thinking to do as those who wish to change their CAO choices previously submitted in February have until 5.15 on 1 July to do so.
The past few years have seen an increased demand for Irish language speaking employees with the enactment of the Official Languages Act 2003, Irish being recognised as an official language in the EU and the growth in the language media sector not to mention teachers at both primary and secondary level. As a result of this demand, there are many Irish language orientated course on offer to students that aim to cater for this demand.
Students may wish to study Irish as an Arts subject in many third level institutions including National University of Ireland Galway, University College Cork and University College Dublin. Those interested in business or journalism may wish to pursue a BA in Business & Gaeilge or a BA in Journalism & Gaeilge with FIONTAR DCU (www.dcu.ie/fiontar) FIONTAR operates completely through Irish and has outstanding language resources for students which prepare them for working through the medium of Irish.
It provides students with the opportunity to combine Irish with contemporary life. Students may also be interested in a range of courses offered by Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, National University of Ireland Galway.
Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge offers courses in translation, business administration and communications. Students of Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge benefit from being located in the Gaeltacht heartland of Connemara or Donegal which helps develop their language capability both on and off campus.
©Gaelport.com 28 Meitheamh 2011
‘Níl go leor spásanna sna Gaelscoileanna’
June 28, 2011
