Schools too focused on religion and Irish
September 12, 2012
THE latest OECD ‘ Education at a Glance’ statistics report gives us a good opportunity to examine Ireland’s primary school curriculum in relief against the rest of the developed world.
The more you look at the report, the more it raises some telling questions about whether we are doing a good job of equipping our children for life outside of school, not just for when they leave but on a day- to- day basis. On a weekly basis we teach just one hour of science as against 2.5 hours of religion. And so much of third class is given over to preparation for First Communion and then sixth to Confirmation, that even this statistic is skewed upwards in favour of religion.
Although the majority of our schools are Catholic and thus sign up for the whole religious packet, there are ever fewer people attending Mass or declaring themselves as followers of the Church of Rome. Surely we can start cutting back on some of the time spent on religion in general and the preparation for these rites.
But it’s not just science that is the only practical subject that could benefit from a few hours re- allocated from within the traditional curriculum. Walk into any Irish primary school and you’ll be blinded by the number of signs and posters in the Irish language.
It seems that our schools bear the responsibility of being the last bastions of the Irish language outside of the Gaeltacht and government offices. Again, I feel too much time is given over to Irish and not enough to maths where our pupils consistently struggle. Ireland needs to become more outward- looking and less obsessed with losing its identity.
Modern languages play a key role in the building of our understanding of not just the markets we crave but of the people themselves that we wish to do business with. In my experience as a teacher of both French and German, a grounding in these two languages, as well as Spanish and Italian, makes all the difference to pupils arriving in post- primary school.
In what can only be described as short- sighted and a step backwards, last year Ruairi Quinn abolished the Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative. Look it up on the internet and you’ll see how those backing its inception in 1998 described this “exciting” project operating through “drama, songs and games”. In 2012 it appears we no longer need to teach modern languages at primary level to “enhance selfesteem and confidence and enhance cultural awareness”. Personally, having taught English at primary level in Germany to children, aged 10, during the 1990s, I can vouch for the receptiveness of learners at this age.
STARTING with traditional English rhymes, we progressed to material I actually knew the words to, like Oasis and Blur! As I walked in the door they would automatically strike up “He lives in a house, a very big house in the country!” What impressed me most was that these children were not just comfortable middleclass Germans, but some who hailed from Croatia, Russia, Turkey and Bosnia too, and were already struggling with German.
What they excelled in most of all was role- playing Mr Smith serving Mrs Jones in the grocery shop or in a restaurant … because it was fun and meaningful.
Was the Irish initiative even implemented properly? Sadly, when queried on the initiative itself, primary teachers often admitted that they couldn’t fit in the extra period to teach a modern language such was the burden of the regular curriculum. Once it’s seen as “extra” to the established curriculum of religion, maths, English and Irish, any innovation is doomed.
Neil O’Callaghan is a German and French teacher
www.independent.ie
Thirteen teacher colleges face axe in major reform
September 6, 2012
THE number of teacher training colleges will be cut from 19 to six under radical restructuring proposals announced yesterday.
The reduction would be achieved through closures and mergers. It is designed to bring Ireland into line with best modern practice by moving away from a system of too many small colleges with unnecessary duplication and ultimately towards improving teacher quality.
Another issue touched on in a report from an international panel of experts is the supply and demand of teachers.
Concern
The report expresses “surprise and concern” that this has not been addressed in Ireland, as it has elsewhere. The 19 colleges currently offer more than 40 programmes of teacher training at primary and post- primary level.
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn is backing the experts’ recommendations and has asked the Higher Education Authority ( HEA) to draw up an implementation plan. However, the proposed rationalisation is certain to spark controversy within the sector, and how mergers would work remains to be ironed out.
One proposal would see teacher training at Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin coming together with Marino Institute of Education, which would also be the base for the new centre.
Meanwhile, the Church of Ireland College of Education, traditionally linked to Trinity, is involved in discussions with a group involving Dublin City University, having previously been involved in discussions with NUI Maynooth.
The six mergers envisaged in the proposals are:
- Dublin City University, St Patrick’s College Drumcondra, Mater Dei Institute of Education and the Church of Ireland College of Education.
- Trinity College Dublin, Marino Institute of Education, University College Dublin and the National College of Art and Design.
- National University of Ireland Maynooth and Froebel College.
- University of Limerick, Mary Immaculate College and Limerick Institute of Technology.
- University College Cork and Cork Institute of Technology.
- National University of Ireland Galway and St Angela’s College Sligo.
It also recommends that Galway- Mayo Institute of Technology and St Patrick’s College in Thurles opt out of teacher training.
In countries such as Finland, all teachers are educated to Masters level in research- based universities, which could be an aspiration for Ireland.
The report praises the “several advantages” of our system, including the calibre of candidates, with academic standards among the highest in the world.
Specialism
It also notes that entrants to publicly- funded teacher training colleges are capped while numbers in the private sector are uncapped.
The private online Hibernia College last year accounted for more than 700 of the 1,887 primary teacher graduates and has now also moved into post- primary teacher training.
At second- level, the report queries the lack of a mechanism to decide how many teachers are needed in each specialism.
It says that the lack reliable data has led to increasing reliance on the use of “out of field” teachers – those who are unqualified in the subject.
www.independent.ie
Testing times lie ahead as primary pupil numbers reach 20-year high
August 30, 2012
PRIMARY school pupil numbers are at their highest level in 20 years.
As the back- to- school rush gets under way, the baby boom of the past decade has pushed enrolments up to about 525,000 this September.
This is about 10,000 more than last year – and the number will continue rising until 2019.
Second- level schools are also seeing a surge, with an additional 5,000 pupils bringing enrolments up to about 327,000 this year. A peak in enrolments at post- primary is not expected until about 2027, when it is projected to reach around 400,000.
The explosion in pupil numbers comes as nine new primary and five new post- primary schools open this September.
It also means some good news for newly- qualified primary teachers who are looking for jobs. It is estimated that about 500- 600 such positions need to be filled this year, including up to 400 new posts to cater for the jump in pupil numbers and the replacement of about 200 teachers who retired over the summer.
However, primary teacher graduates – about 1,800 this year – continue to outstrip the number of vacancies available.
Cuts
The news is less promising at post- primary level, though, where cuts of 700 teachers announced in last year’s Budget are affecting job opportunities.
However, there is some relief on the way for the schools worst hit by the embargo on middle management promotions earlier this year.
The Department of Education advised school managers this week that it would now allow a limited number of appointments at assistant principal level. It is a recognition of the loss of staff experienced in some schools in recent months arising from retirements.
In February, a ban was imposed on the payment of allowances associated with positions such as assistant principal and other posts of responsibility.
It is part of the wider ban on the payment allowances to public servants, pending a review aimed at cutting € 75m a year off the € 1.5bn a year bill for such payments. The same ruling has also affected the pay of new teachers, who are now starting on a salary of € 27,814, having lost their qualifications allowance of about € 5,000.
www.independent.ie
Leaving Cert Results: Record numbers get bonus in maths
August 16, 2012
THREE pupils celebrate nine A1s as class of 2012 celebrate the best Leaving Certificate maths results on record — putting students on track for careers in the jobs-rich areas of science and technology
Almost 56,000 candidates receive their Leaving Cert results today — among them three top-scoring candidates who achieved nine A1s each at higher level. More than 11,000 candidates took higher-level maths — an increase of 35pc from 2011 — and of these, a massive 97.7pc achieved grade D or higher, entitling them to 25 bonus CAO points.
It means that as many as one-in-four school leavers who applied to the CAO this year are bringing an extra 25 points each into the calculations when the first round of CAO college offers goes out next Monday.
However, the maths surge will contribute to higher CAO cut-off points in areas such as science and technology.
Points for such courses were expected to rise anyway, driven by the increase in demand from students heeding the advice of Government and employers that these will be the areas providing jobs in the future.
But there will be a downside for students who took ordinary-level maths.
They may now find themselves competing for places on certain courses — where higher-level maths is not an entry requirement — with students who gained the 25-point bonus.
Student performance in some key science subjects was also up this year.
It is not only maths higher-level students who have special cause to celebrate today.
In another significant feature of the results, the numbers taking higher-level Irish rose by 11pc compared with 2011.
This is linked to the change in the marking system, with 40pc of marks now available for the oral part of the exam, a move introduced to encourage better take-up at this level.
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn led the congratulations to the class of 2012 and he, along with school managers principals, teachers and parents’ representatives encouraged students to consider all their options and take advantage of the supports available in planning their next step.
The spectacular increase in achievement in higher-level maths will be the big talking point of Leaving Certificate 2012.
A record 22pc of maths candidates opted for higher level, up from 16pc last year. The previous high was about 19pc in 1997. However, while the proportion of A grades was down, the number of Bs was up.
Employers, who clamoured for years for the introduction of bonus points as an incentive to students to study a key subject for the new economy, welcomed the results but warned there was no room for complacency
They pointed to other areas that now had to be tackled, including achieving a greater take-up in science subjects as well as foreign languages.
Paul Sweetman of IBEC high technology division, ICT Ireland, said the increase in students taking higher-level maths, coupled with the growth in demand for science and technology courses, sent a strong signal to the global technology community that Ireland would remain a key location for growth and investment.
Tony Donohoe, IBEC head of education policy, said the increase vindicated the decision of the higher-education institutions to award bonus points. But he warned that bonus points were not a panacea for improving standards and the single most important element in improving the level of maths attainment in schools was the quality of teaching.
“This issue has become even more critical with the introduction of the new Project Maths curriculum, which requires a deeper understanding of the application of mathematical concepts by both teachers and students alike,” he said .
www.independent.ie/
Area faces € 1m loss as college pulls plug
July 23, 2012
WHEN a third- level college pulled the plug on its association with a Gaeltacht area, the local community looked to re- invent itself.
The Iveragh Gaeltacht in south Kerry is smaller and lesser known than the more established Gaeltacht of the Dingle Peninsula – with which it competes for students. It decided to focus this summer on courses that target families – but that didn’t work either.
Situated about 10km south of Cahersiveen, near Ballinskelligs, the Iveragh Gaeltacht is spread across three parishes with a population of around 2,000. When the teacher- training e- learning college Hibernia College announced earlier this year that it would no longer be sending students, locals were faced with an estimated € 1m loss to the local economy.
“We decided we’d offer holiday packages to families where they could come and stay in rented cottages and attend Irish classes,” said manager of Comhchoiste Ghaeltachta Uibh Rathaigh, Caitlin Breatnach.
“While there was demand for it, there simply wasn’t enough for it to work this year.
“There definitely is potential to develop it but it’s just about getting the word out,” Ms Breatnach added.
The Iveragh Gaeltacht had hosted about 1,000 students from Hibernia College over the past three years, and they used to stay in rented houses in the area. It also provided 21 teaching jobs throughout the season.
www.independent.ie
Students shun Gaeltacht trips
July 23, 2012
Fall in numbers as more sign up to learn foreign language
THOUSANDS of students are signing up for foreign language courses at home and abroad as trips to the Gaeltacht have been hit by a 15pc fall in numbers.
Fewer than 24,000 children are expected to travel for summer Irish courses this year, down from 28,000 in 2008.
However, agencies running summer courses in French, Spanish and other foreign languages are reporting record numbers.
Official figures from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht show a continuous decline in the numbers heading for the Gaeltacht in recent years.
Leaving Cert marks for oral and aural Irish have been almost doubled to 45pc of the total exam during that time – increasing the importance of spoken Irish.
But that has failed to halt the decline in course numbers in the Gaeltacht, which Irish colleges’ umbrella group Concos has described as “dramatic”.
“The numbers continue to plunge year on year. They are down by about 20pc on the peak. It is definitely a reaction to the economic downturn,” said spokeswoman Maria Nic Dhonncha.
Ms Nic Dhonncha added that the costs of running the schools continued to rise.
She said this meant that reducing the charge – which is typically between € 750 and € 900 for a three- week residential course – was not an option.
The only state subsidy is the € 9.50 per day paid to the Bean an Ti for each student staying with her, and this was cut by 10pc over the last two years.
Sean O Casaigh, secretary of Colaiste Chorca Dhuibhne in west Kerry, confirmed numbers were down “significantly”.
“There has been a 20 to 25pc decrease in numbers since 2008,” he said.
However, the director of the European Language College, Donie McCormack – where students take three- week French and Spanish language summer courses – said the downturn had little impact on business.
Education
“Our numbers are on the rise, I think parents will always prioritise education, no matter how tight things are,” said Mr McCormack.
The Horizon Education School offers summer schools in English, French and Spanish. Its owner, Frank Noone, said more than 3,000 students had signed up for summer school so far this year – the largest number to date.
“Thankfully business is doing very well, the numbers are up by 25pc on last year,” he said.
Horizon charges € 500 a week for its summer language school.
Similarly, there has been a significant increase in the numbers travelling for courses.
Lingoo, a multilingual European- based website, which allows parents to find foreign families who host students for language holidays, said the increase in demand from Irish parents was “striking” this year.
www.independent.ie
‘It’s hard work but has huge economic importance to region’
July 23, 2012
Kitty Hutchinson has welcomed students to her west Kerry home for over 30 years.
The income she has earned as bean an ti has helped put her four daughters through college.
Although the number of students attending summer courses has dropped in recent years, Mrs Hutchinson remains hopeful about the future.
She said the restructuring of the Leaving Certificate Irish exam marking system to put more emphasis on the oral and aural exams has helped the situation.
But she believes the only way the Gaeltacht summer courses will survive is if Gaeilge remains a compulsory subject on the Leaving Cert curriculum.
“There has been a noticeable decline in numbers since about 2008 with the recession but what has had more of an impact is a new rule that restricts the number of students in any house to 14,” Mrs Hutchinson told the Irish Independent.
Rewarding
Like many of her neighbours in Feothanach – 13km north west of Dingle – Ms Hutchinson is kept busy during the summer catering for three three- week courses, one each in June, July and August.
Depending on how many students they keep, the mna ti can expect to earn between € 10,000 and € 15,000 gross on average.
But it is hard work. They are expected to provide a home environment for the students, provide them with three square meals a day of nutritious food and snacks and spend time with them so that they have every chance to improve their Irish. They are literally on call 24/ 7.
“It is hard work, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s very rewarding and I’ve enjoyed it. Otherwise I wouldn’t be still doing it after 30 years,” she added. “It’s of huge economic importance – not only to the mna ti but to the whole region,” she said.
But ultimately, the courses work because the students enjoy the experience and want to return, she added.
www.independent.ie
Language in peril in its homeland
July 23, 2012
Generations of Irish children have gone through a sort of rite of passage – usually, and appropriately enough, when on the threshold of adolescence – which has left them with happy, lifelong memories.
They remember the other- worldly environment of the Gaeltacht, the unusual sounds and sights and smells, like bread baking; and the strange experience of hearing all around them people speaking a language that most children have heard only in the classroom.
But how many are moved to improve their knowledge of the language, or speak or read it, nobody knows.
Now it emerges that the numbers attending Gaeltacht “summer colleges” are falling. Less than 24,000 are expected to travel this year, down from 28,000 four years ago.
At the same time, more and more have registered for courses in European languages.
This points up what might seem a stark choice but is really an irrelevance. There is no conflict between learning Irish and learning French or German. Nor need there be any conflict between the modernisation of Ireland and the preservation of the language, including one of its most charming aspects.
But the Gaeltacht itself is shrinking. Its very existence is in peril. Sceptics question whether the people of the present Gaeltacht areas will still speak Irish in 20 years’ time.
Like the loss of childhood, such a loss could never be repaired.
www.independent.ie
Cheaper to send photo than a fada, say texters
July 19, 2012
TEXTING as Gaeilge costs up to three times as much as English, because sending a fada uses up extra data.
Mobile phone users texting in Irish claim they are being ripped off for using the national language and claimed it can be cheaper to send a photo than a fada.
Vodafone confirmed yesterday that users would be charged for three text (SMS) messages if they included a single ‘sineadh fada’ in a text of 160 characters.
Mobile phone operators blame the costs on technical reasons — texts are charged according to the data used, rather than the number of letters or characters.
When mobile phone users switch from the standard English to use symbols from Irish or even another language such as Mandarin, this incurs a greater data cost.
A very short text, of less than 70 characters, can include multiple fadas and still be charged as one text.
However, additional costs arise if the text is what the industry considers a standard length, or 160 characters.
“If a customer is texting in Irish and they type the full 160 characters, a standard text message, that includes at least one fada, they will be charged for three text messages,” a spokeswoman for Vodafone confirmed.
Both Vodafone and O2 said they conformed to the standards set by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute.
Gaelscoileanna Teo, a support body for Irish primary schools, said many Gaelscoileanna regularly send group texts to parents and only recently have become aware of the costs.
Integral
They said that the fada was an integral part of the language and the extra charge discouraged its correct use.
The official language commissioner, An Coimisineir Teanga, said they could not intervene as mobile phone companies were private businesses.
There has been no action taken by communications regulator, Comreg.
Daithi Mac Carthaigh, a former president of Conradh na Gaeilge, which promotes Irish, said Comreg had a statutory duty to protect the consumer.
Under regulations in Turkey, both mobile phone device producers and operators must allow the devices to use Turkish characters without an extra charge. Any devices that don’t comply are not allowed on to the Turkish market. Similar initiatives have taken place in Spain and Portugal.
Ruaidhri Giblin
Irish Independent
‘Diplomatic’ pupils help give 90- year- old Gaelscoil a facelift
June 26, 2012
It is the oldest Gaelscoil in the country, and perhaps a little bit of experience helped in diplomatic negotiations for a new extension.
Scoil Bhride Gaelscoil in Ranelagh in Dublin is over 90 years old and has a fantastic location. But since it overlooks the Canadian Embassy, any building work can be a somewhat delicate issue. Education Minister Ruairi Quinn confirmed this yesterday, alluding to a call to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa to assauge any fears they might have had about the construction work.
“After promising that the children would not compromise the national security of Canada or steal any state secrets, they agreed,” he joked.
And the children sang Canadian Leonard Cohen’s classic ‘ Hallelujah’ – in Irish, of course – for their neighbours and the assembled guests. Principal Triona Ui Mhaoldomhnaigh addressed the gathering of proud parents and happy children, thanking them all for their hard work in bringing the project in on time and under budget.
The country’s first Gaelscoil was founded in 1917 by Louise Gavan Duffy, one of the few women to participate in the 1916 Easter Rising. Building of the extension began in October and while it caused severe disruption to school life, the 390 children didn’t miss a single day.
“There has always been a great spirit in the school. Some of our students have been moved around two or three times during the course of the building but everyone just got on with it, they’ve all be fantastic,” Ms Ui Mhaoldomhnaigh said.
She made her speech in both Irish and English, and Mr Quinn, for one, was thankful for that.
“Nil Gaeilge maith agam,” he admitted before regaling his audience with the tale of his epic road, ferry and currach journey to the Aran Islands some 54 years ago. The trip even inspired him to change the spelling of his name to the Irish way – Ruairi. The major structural make- over was the first building work carried out on the school in over 40 years, with prefabs used for extra students previously.
www.independent.ie
