Plan for optional Irish in Leaving Cert
February 24, 2011
A chara, – Piaras Béaslaí, in the biography of his friend Michael Collins and the Making of a New Ireland,
Dublin 1926, wrote “That ideal, the ideal of Michael Collins, was, as his latest writings show as unequivocally as his earliest, a free, united, un-partitioned, Irish-speaking Ireland, proudly preserving its historic culture and its national integrity … in short, an Ireland as Irish as Denmark is Danish.” Should Fine Gael in government put paid to the status of Irish as a core Leaving Cert subject, I hope that it would have the decency to discontinue any reference to Collins in its party publicity. – Is mise,
DÁITHÍ Mac CÁRTHAIGH BL,
An Leabharlann Dlí,
Na Ceithre Cúirteanna,
Baile Átha Cliath 7.
A chara, – David Carroll makes the entirely valid point that students should have an input into the debate on the teaching of Irish in secondary school (February 19th). As a fifth-year student, it is my firm opinion that our education system does not facilitate learning purely out of love for a subject. Students become so blinded by the tunnel vision of seeking results, objectives and future employment in the midst of a vicious points race that we are not granted the luxury of pursuing a subject for its own sake, however much we might like to.
Yet Irish isn’t merely a subject: it is a means of communication and a manner of thinking which constitutes an intrinsic part of our national identity, and it is paramount that we keep its high status to motivate students to study it. To adopt Fine Gael’s vision appears to me like the certain route to a dystopian future where the “English is enough” attitude will prevail. Why can’t they improve the teaching of language and at the same time keep it obligatory? We can import teachers of foreign languages if necessary, but we need to produce Irish teachers to a high standard here in Ireland, because nowhere else can. Those who vote for Irish becoming optional aren’t seeking the right to choose, but conversely, the right to reject, our first language. – Is mise,
EIMEAR DUFF,
Swords Road, Dublin 9.
Madam, – If Fine Gael makes the Irish language an optional subject at Leaving Certificate, will it also make it an optional entry requirement into teacher training colleges? I believe the current requirement for an honour in higher-level Irish is proving to be a barrier to many of our students entering the teaching profession.
How can we justify this requirement when a similar standard is not required, for instance, in mathematics? A significant number of our past pupils do very well in the Leaving Certificate and they gain enough points to go to third level.
Some are post-primary teachers, but we have strong anecdotal evidence that it is the Irish language requirement in Leaving Cert that is proving to be an impediment to some young people becoming primary teachers. We need positive role models from our school community, as teachers and would dearly love to see more of our past pupils coming back to teach in our school. I believe that the Irish language requirement should be an exit requirement from the training colleges and not an entry requirement. When young people decided that primary teaching is the profession they wish to pursue, three years of intensive tuition in Irish in college, added to their school-level Irish, should allow students to meet the necessary standard.
Teachers who are trained abroad are currently allowed a number of years to upskill in the Irish language. Why are we putting an impediment in the way of otherwise excellent candidates to the profession? In a similar vein, we recruited a new special needs assistant in our school in recent months and were astounded to discover that an Irish language requirement has also been mandated for this position. We have little or no role models in the teaching profession for the newcomer children in our schools. The position of SNA might have been an opportunity to introduce some diversity in the school staff if a suitable candidate had been successful at interview. Unfortunately the Irish language requirement made this an impossibility. Schools should have complete discretion in this matter and should be able to decide if a qualification in the Irish language for SNAs is necessary for their own particular context. – Yours, etc,
KATHRYN CROWLEY,
Principal,
St Louise de Marillac Junior School,
Ballyfermot, Dublin 10.
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