Moltar an mórshiúl
Feabhra 19, 2014
Moltar na mílte. Moltar Lá Mór na Gaeilge.
Is go réidh a thagann na focail “ardú meanman” agus “tógáil croí” chun béil agus tú ag amharc ar na mílte – suas go 10,000 duine, de réir lucht eagraithe – a shiúil i mBaile Átha Cliath Dé Sathairn agus iad “dearg le fearg” ar son na teanga.
Cur i gcuimhne Ní miste cur i gcuimhne do pholaiteoirí, do na meáin chumarsáide agus leoga, do na Gaeilgeoirí gairmiúla féin, go bhfuil fíordhaoine ar son na Gaeilge. Beidh mórán daoine ar cás leo an teanga ar son na n-éileamh atá lucht eagraithe na hócáide, Conradh na Gaeilge: seirbhís Stáit as Gaeilge a chinntiú do phobal na Gaeltachta faoi dheireadh 2016; seirbhísí Stáit a chur ar fáil as Gaeilge do phobal na Gaeilge ar comhchaighdeán leis na seirbhísí as Béarla; Acht Gaeilge a achtú ó thuaidh; Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla a láidriú agus deireadh a chur leis an maolú ar stádas na Gaeilge mar theanga oifigiúil den Aontas Eorpach.
Sásta Is ait an mac é saol na Gaeilge, gan amhras. Dá rachfá siar 100 bliain agus a rá le lucht na Gaeilge an t-am sin go mbeadh críochdheighilt in Éirinn ach go mbeadh an Ghaeilge aitheanta mar chéad teanga oifigiúil de chuid an Stáit seo, go mbeadh an teanga á teagasc in áiteanna iargúlta ar fud na hÉireann, go mbeadh aicme ollscoile le Gaeilge agat, chan amháin in Éirinn ach thar lear, go mbeadh an teanga á labhairt go fóill – más ar éigean é – i mórán ceantar Gaeltachta, go mbeadh nasc idirnáisiúnta idirlín ar fáil do lucht labhartha na teanga, agus go mbeadh feidhmeannaigh ag plé leis an teanga go laethúil, nach orthu a bheadh gliondar? An mbeadh siad den bharúil go raibh toradh mar ba cheart ar a gcuid iarrachtaí?
Déarfainn go mbeadh mórán acu sásta; déarfainn nach gcreidfeadh mórán acu an cruth atá anois ar chúrsaí, gur ar éigean a chreidfeadh siad a raibh déanta – rud nach ionann agus a rá nach mbeadh siad ag máirseáil arís. Nach é sin an donas a bhainean leis an teanga? Tá an oiread sin bainte amach ach, ina ainneoin sin, braitheann mórán de lucht na Gaeilge nach leor é, nach fada uainn uilig bá an Bhéarla. Tá sin intuigthe agus ní gan chúis atá an imní. Mar sin féin, is é an dara donas a bhaineann leis an Ghaeilge nach cumhacht a bhíonn i gceist léi ach cúram, cúram leanúnach trom nach n-imíonn in am ar bith, nach n-éiríonn níos éadroime in am ar bith. Fadhb Ní luaithe fadhb amháin sáraithe go dtagann an dara fadhb; ní luaithe freagra tugtha ar cheist amháin go gcuirtear an dara ceist.
Streachailt gan stad gan staonadh agus ní fearg a choinníonn an dé ionat ach stuaim dháigh.
Agus na daoine nach bhfuil Gaeilge acu, amharcann siad ar lucht na teanga mar a bheadh scata Trekkies iontu, iad ag éirí tógtha le fantaisíocht Ghaelach éigin nach ann di i ndáiríre. Bíonn cuid acu múinte, cuid eile drochmhúinte. Bíonn cuid acu fiosrach agus mórán eile aineolach. Ach ní bréag a rá gur ar éigean a roinneann lucht na Gaeilge agus lucht an Bhéarla an pláinéad céanna, gan a bheith ag caint ar an tír chéanna. Moltar an mórshiúl. Moltar na mílte. Moltar Lá Mór na Gaeilge. Níl le déanamh anois ach an cheist, an chúis, an crá croí, a chur os comhair an phobail agus na bpolaiteoirí, bíodh Gaeilge acu nó ná bíodh, go ceann 364 lá eile. Agus is maith go bhfuil daoine lán misnigh ann le tabhairt faoin fhéilire sin a líonadh.
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€750 award over school’s discrimination
Feabhra 18, 2014
Parents complained that Gaelscoil had treated Church of Ireland pupil unfairly.
Parents of a Church of Ireland pupil who complained about less favourable treatment shown to their son by a Gaelscoil have been awarded €750 by the Equality Tribunal.The mother and father complained on behalf of the boy that he was discriminated against by the national school on religious grounds in contravention of equal status legislation. They claimed he received unfair treatment as he was of the Church of Ireland faith and a majority of other pupils were Catholics.
Interdenominational
The school had informed the parents initially that the school was interdenominational in ethos but that only Catholic and Church of Ireland faiths would be taught.The parents alleged that their son remained in class while a considerable amount of time was spent preparing Catholic children for First Holy Communion. They later questioned why Catholic religious instruction was being offered and were told by the principal that as the two faiths were 95 per cent the same, the education offered would be sufficient for both.
Their son did not attend the First Holy Communion ceremony and the parents allege their son was treated less favourably by the school as a result and treated as if he had done something wrong.The boy did not attend Confirmation for the Catholic pupils at a later date and they alleged that the principal again treated their son less favourably, though not in the same manner as before. In its written submission the school defended its ethos and practices and contradicted some of the claims made by the parents concerning the principal.
Unreserved apology
On the day of the hearing the chairman of the board of management made an unreserved apology in relation to the alleged behaviour of the principal. The tribunal found that the boy had been treated less favourably and accepted the parents had produced prima facie evidence of discrimination. Its judgment records the fact that the parents’ daughter is also attending the school and no issues have arisen in relation to her treatment. The tribunal awarded €750 to the parents. The school was ordered to review its policies and procedures to ensure they are in line with the provisions of the Equal Status Acts and to place a notice to this effect in a prominent position within the school.
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Thousands march for language rights
Feabhra 17, 2014
Thousands took to the streets of Dublin city centre this afternoon to protest against the treatment by Governments north and south of Irish-language speakers and Gaeltacht communities.
Organisers said some 10,000 people took part in the march which started at the Garden of Remembrance in Parnell Square and marched down O’Connell Street before gathering for a rally in front of Dáil Éireann.
The crowd, with many wearing red, heard from a number of speakers who condemned the lack of public services available in Irish.
Billed as a celebration of Irish on the streets of Dublin, Lá Mór na Gaeilge attracted participants from all parts of the island and was the largest such demonstration since the 2005 campaign to elevate the status of Irish in the European Union.
Citing the decision in December by language commissioner Seán Ó Cuirreáin to resign in protest over the failure by Government to implement legislation protecting the rights of Irish speakers, Conradh na Gaeilge general secretary Julian de Spáinn said Irish language speakers were “red with rage” at how speakers are being treated by the State.
“We will continue to campaign our public representatives until we achieve fairness and equality for the Irish-speaking and Gaeltacht communities throughout the island of Ireland. ”
Lá Mór na Gaeilge was organised by Conradh na Gaeilge and marks the beginning of a campaign to seek equal treatment for Irish language speakers north and south.
“We are planning a march on Sunday week in Conamara and in Gaoth Dobhair to coincide with the resignation of the Coimisinéir Teanga and on the 12th of April we are planning a large demonstration in Belfast,” Mr de Spáinn said afterwards.
“In addition we are going to focus on the local and European elections. There is a lot to do but today was just a beginning.”
Mr de Spáinn said Conradh na Gaeilge had responded to an offer of a meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny and was awaiting a response from the Taoiseach’s office.
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Rónán Ó Domhnaill le bheith ina Choimisinéir nua Teanga
Feabhra 12, 2014
An t-iriseoir Rónán Ó Domhnaill (38) atá ainmnithe ag an Rialtas le feidhmiú mar an chéad Choimisinéir Teanga eile.
Dúirt Ó Domhnaill gur “onóir agus pribhléid” a bhí ann a bheith ainmnithe do “ról chomh tábhachtach leis seo”. Tagann Ó Domhnaill ón Cheathrú Rua i nGaeltacht Chonamara ó dhúchas agus tiocfaidh sé i gcomharbacht ar an Uasal Seán Ó Cuirreáin atá le héirí as an phost ag deireadh na míosa seo. Is Comhfhreagraí Polaitíochta de chuid Nuacht RTÉ/TG4 é Ó Domhnaill agus tá sé ag obair leis an stáisiún ó 1998. Cuireann sé clár seachtainiúil cúrsaí reatha RTÉ, The Week in Politics , i láthair go rialta. Tá sé pósta ar an iriseoir, Irene Ní Nualáin, agus tá beirt pháistí acu. Dúirt Aire Stáit na Gaeltachta, Dinny McGinley TD, go raibh áthas air go raibh “an tUasal Ó Domhnaill tar éis glacadh leis an ainmniúchán don phost mar Choimisinéir Teanga úr.
“Tá ardmheas ag pobal na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta air ina cháil mar chomhfhreagraí polaitíochta agus tá mé cinnte go rachaidh an taithí atá aige i dtairbhe go mór dó mar Choimisinéir Teanga”. Chuir ardrúnaí Chonradh na Gaeilge, Julian de Spáinn, fáilte roimh an cheapachán ach cháin sé an Rialtas fosta, á rá go mbeadh “deis ag pobal na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta, thuaidh agus theas, a bhfearg agus a ndíomá a chur in iúl ag Lá Mór na Gaeilge i mBaile Átha Cliath Dé Sathairn seo chugainn, fearg agus díomá i dtaca leis an tslí a chaith an Rialtas ó dheas leis an gCoimisinéir Teanga reatha go háirithe”. ‘Ar buille’ Dúirt sé go raibh pobal na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta “ar buille leis an Rialtas as an easpa ghnímh agus an easpa dul chun cinn atá déanta lena chinntiú go mbeadh dóthain Gaeilge ag fostaithe an Stáit chun go mbeadh siad in ann freastal go hiomlán as Gaeilge ar phobal na Gaeltachta, gan cheist, gan choinníoll, faoi dheireadh 2016 ar a dhéanaí”.
Thréaslaigh ceannasaí Ghael Linn, Antoine Ó Coileáin, a cheapachán le Ó Domhnaill. Dúirt sé “go mbeadh dúshlán mór roimhe bonn inchreidte a chur faoi phróiseas pleanála a thabharfadh feidhm do stádas oifigiúil na Gaeilge agus a dheimhneodh cearta teanga do phobal na Gaeilge”. Rinne an coimisinéir reatha, Seán Ó Cuirreáin, comhghairdeas leis an Dálach fosta agus ghuigh gach rath air agus é ag cur chearta teanga chun cinn. D’fhógair Ó Cuirreáin go raibh sé le héirí as a phost de bharr gur chreid sé go raibh an Stát ag déanamh faillí i gcearta teanga phobal na Gaeltachta agus na Gaeilge.
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Cormac cois cuain – craoltóir RnaG le bheith i mBéal Feirste
Eanáir 29, 2014
Tá mórán cainte ar siúl ag lucht na Gaeilge faoi na hathruithe atá déanta ag Foras na Gaeilge ar an earnáil dheonach.
Sé cheanneagraíocht, in áit 19 eagras, a bheidh freagrach feasta as cur chun cinn na teanga agus níl ceanneagraíocht ar bith sa Tuaisceart. Leis sin a phlé, craolfar eagrán speisialta de Cormac@5 le Cormac Ó hEadhra ar RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta beo as Béal Feirste Dé Máirt, 4ú Feabhra. Beidh deis ag na heagraíochtaí uilig teacht chun plé a dhéanamh agus ceisteanna a fhreagairt faoin leagan amach nua a bheidh ar earnáil na Gaeilge. Craolfar an clár idir 5pm agus 6pm as Cultúrlann MacAdam-Ó Fiaich, Bóthar na bhFál, agus tá fáilte roimh an phobal freastal air.
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How did we get the teaching of Irish so wrong?
Eanáir 28, 2014
Irish is our official first language.
We spend at least 13 years studying it and yet very few of us would claim to be able to speak it. What is the problem with Irish in our education system? In a chilly hall in Loreto Bray, Co Wicklow, a group of Transition Year students are arguing about whether learning Chinese would be a better option than learning Irish. It’s the usual debate about culture versus practicality. Impressively, at least one girl has experience of both: “I’m learning Chinese and trust me, Irish is way easier.” These girls are taking part in a student outreach roadshow that youth co-ordinator for Conradh na Gaeilge Aodhán Ó Dea has been presenting in various schools during the past three years. The idea is to get students thinking about their attitudes to Irish and to inspire them to use the language outside of school.
“A lot of the time I’d find that students like the idea of the language,” says Ó Dea. “They don’t want to lose it, but often they say they don’t enjoy learning it. In some of the wealthier schools, the level of Irish is good, but the attitude towards it is downright hostile, and on the other hand some schools where standards aren’t great, the students are really receptive and enthusiastic about its importance to our culture.” It’s a thorny subject. Why, with 13 or 14 years of instruction and learning in Irish, does research show standards continue to fall? A 2006 report by Dr John Harris from Trinity College found a sharp fall in the standard of Irish among sixth-class students between 1985 and 2002. It also found a quarter of Irish primary school teachers believed their own standard of Irish to be “weak”.
Last November, the chief inspector’s report said students’ learning was “less than satisfactory in almost a quarter of Irish lessons in primary schools and almost a third of Irish lessons in post-primary schools”. The report was also concerned about language competence of teachers in a “small but significant number of classrooms”. Irish can be successfully taught, the students in Loreto Bray, for example, have a really good level of Irish, but that success is less common than it should be. So how can we improve?
Plans at primary level
At primary level a new integrated language curriculum is due for junior classes this September. It’s not before time. The curriculum in place since 1999 intended to encourage a communicative, task-based approach, but while the document itself is wonderfully child-centred and idealistic, it seems to ignore the fact that for most children, and indeed, teachers, Irish is a second language and needs to be learned rather than absorbed. Another, very simple problem with the old curriculum is that it was only available in Irish. For a busy teacher, this is an added obstacle, even for those with a reasonable proficiency in the language.
“We need an integrated teaching programme of Irish for English-medium schools,” says Deirbhile Nic Craith, education officer with the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO). “Previously, we had the Buntús Cainte which had step-by-step lessons for teachers. In Irish-medium primary schools, they have the Séideán Sí which is excellent but we have nothing like that for English-medium schools. We need a programme that integrates the various curriculum strands so busy teachers aren’t entirely left up to their own devices to plan.” This is an important point. Teachers need the support of a formal structure, an ABC of what to teach, right from oral Irish lessons in infant classes. There needs to be a clear and steady progression through the course. At the moment, there is no structure for teachers to follow. A clear, step-by-step, framework of Irish lesson plans, similar to French or Spanish, would benefit children and teachers who are less confident in their own command of the language.
The new curriculum, which will be introduced to junior classes (up to second class) in September 2014, will give teachers far more support in terms of what to teach and how to teach it. It will include a step-by-step guide about how to achieve particular curricular objectives. The curriculum will be published online to enable teachers to click through to the material and supports. Making an English-language version of the document would certainly help teachers, but some people involved in teacher-training acknowledge that such a move would be met with hostility from Irish language groups.
Pádraig Ó Duibhir of St Patrick’s College Drumcondra, with his colleague Prof Jim Cummins of the University of Toronto, has conducted a review for the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) of strategies proven to work for language learning in the lead up to this upcoming curriculum review. “Part of the issue is the system of 30 or 40 minutes a day for Irish in primary school,” says Ó Duibhir. “That drip drip approach has not been successful for Welsh in Wales or French in Canada. Schools achieving good results here have children using Irish outside the Irish class. One school, for example has had great success with a Lá na Gaeilge where everyone makes an effort to speak Irish on one day each week. The children have a need to use it. In practising it, they experience success, which further motivates them.”
An approach to language learning that takes the language outside of the language class has been successful. In Cordoba in Spain teachers are encouraged to teach one subject apart from English, through English. “PE and art are easy ways into that sort of approach. Science could work too,” Ó Duibhir says. Such an approach assumes a good level of competence from teachers and, as seen in the Harris report, that assumption is not always accurate. “Take teacher-training for second level,” says Anna Ní Ghallachair, director of the Language Centre in NUI Maynooth. “Entrants need a BA or a Masters’ in Irish, but what exactly does that mean in terms of their competence in the language? For primary-school teaching, higher-level Irish is a pre-requisite for entry into college, but again, does that really tell us anything about their language competence?”
One suggestion is for teachers to achieve a minimum level of competency as laid out by the common European Framework of Reference for Languages. This is a guide to describe the achievements of language learners across Europe. It is standardised and allows teachers and students understand what level of skill they have attained. The European certificate of Irish, the Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG), has been designed within this framework. People taking the TEG can sit a series of six exams that test for proficiency from absolute beginner right through to advanced.
Siuán Ní Mhaonaigh, the director of TEG, says “I firmly believe much of the tinkering being done to syllabi is unnecessary,” she says. “A practical and valid testing system would go a long way towards improving things for Irish. At the moment we are not asking the right questions in our exams.”
Lack of acceptable standards
Indeed, a lack of a recognised acceptable standard is a problem across the board. In first year of secondary school, a maths teacher can assume a certain level of numerical ability among students and can therefore build on that. An Irish teacher on the other hand could be faced with students who have excellent Irish alongside others who have barely a word. They aren’t so much building on a foundation as being forced to start from scratch.
“Standardised tests in Irish have been developed,” Nic Craith says. “If they were used it would give us some idea of what teachers could expect.” Nic Craith agrees that using the common European Framework of Reference for Languages could be a very useful tool, both within schools and in teacher-training. It would be an independent benchmark of a student or a teacher’s true ability and it would give students and teachers something to work towards. Proper assessment can be a motivator in and of itself.
However, by the time students reach second level, for many, a rot has already set in. Those who have a good level of Irish face boredom while the teacher tries to bring other students along, while students who have already experienced eight years of fruitless teaching and learning are more resistant and discouraged than ever. Students who are willing and happy to learn French and Spanish don’t see Irish in the same light. They have already learned it for eight years, they can’t speak it and therefore must be terrible at it.
The Leaving Cert’s two papers and the oral and aural exams can seem like too much work and many students opt for ordinary level as a strategy to allow them to focus on other subjects. The literature, it is argued, is off-putting and distracts from Irish as a language. Conradh na Gaeilge proposes that Irish at Leaving Cert should be subdivided into communicative Irish, which would be compulsory and which would take the oral language, written communication, comprehension and so-on, and an advanced option which would encompass poetry and literature. Others argue this would dumb down the subject with no evidence that the language would experience any boost as a result.
“We need to ask ourselves, are we teaching Irish for cultural reasons, or for it to be used?” says Dr Muiris Ó Laoire, a lecturer and researcher on multi-lingualism in IT Tralee. “If we want it to be used, we need to rethink what we’re doing. How are we going to provide meaningful opportunities for use? It can be done but it is a challenge.” “The teaching and learning of the language can, and does work,” says Ní Ghallachair. But for it to be more successful, we need to acknowledge the effort needed. We need to examine how teachers are trained to teach, how students are taught to learn and how all are motivated to use it. “Irish depends on the commitment of a school and teachers in a way other subjects don’t,” says Ó Duibhir. “But I think our expectations are unrealistic. That’s not to say the way things are is okay, but I do think that when it comes to Irish, perhaps we need to redefine what success is.”
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Ceanneagraíochtaí nua roghnaithe ag Foras na Gaeilge
Eanáir 22, 2014
Gael Linn, Conradh na Gaeilge, Oireachtas na Gaeilge, Cumann na bhFiann, Glór na nGael agus Gaelscoileanna na sé cheanneagraíocht nua atá roghnaithe ag Foras na Gaeilge faoin scéim nua maoinithe.
Is iad a tháinig slán as na 19 eagras a bhí ag fáil bunmhaoinithe ón fhoras. Leanfar de mhaoiniú na n-eagras eile deonach go mí an Mheithimh. “Ré nua,” a thug an foras ar an atheagar. Dúirt Dónal Ó hAiniféin ón fhoras gur mhinic a canadh “an nath “ní neart go cur le chéile” – agus tá Foras na Gaeilge agus na ceanneagraíochtaí le beart a dhéanamh de réir na mbriathra sin, le go mbeidh an oiread agus is féidir d’acmhainní na Gaeilge á ndíriú ar fhorbairt na Gaeilge sa phobal”. Bheadh “buiséad suntasach” ar fáil le tabhairt faoin obair. Thug Oireachtas na Gaeilge le fios go raibh “áthas” orthu gur roghnaíodh mar cheanneagraíocht iad. Dúirt a stiúrthóir, Liam Ó Maolaodha, go raibh siad “ag tnúth lenár ról a ghlacadh i gcur i bhfeidhm an struchtúir nua. Tá go leor le déanamh againn mar eagraíocht idir seo agus Iúil chun muid féin a chur in oiriúint do ról ceanneagraíochta ach creidim go bhfuilimid ábalta é sin a dhéanamh agus gur níos láidre a bheimid dá bharr”.
Dúirt ardfheidhmeannach Ghaelscoileanna, Bláthnaid Ní Ghréacháin, go raibh siad “thar a bheith sásta gur éirigh linn faoin bpróiseas seo”.D’aithin sí go mbeadh dúshláin i gceist le cur i bhfeidhm an chórais nua ach ghlac sí “go fonnmhar agus go dáiríre leis na cúraimí, deiseanna agus dúshláin atá romhainn mar cheanneagraíocht ar an mhór-réimse”. Dúirt príomhfheidhmeannach Ghael Linn, Antoine Ó Coileáin, go raibh “súil acu gur tús é an cinneadh ar mhodh nua pleanála don Ghaeilge ina mbeidh an Stát agus an earnáil dheonach ag obair as lámha a chéile. Ní foláir todhchaí na Gaeilge mar theanga phobail a chinntiú agus is den riachtanas é go mbeadh bunús maith leis an mbeartas úr”. Níor éirigh le heagras ar bith sa Tuaisceart stádas a bhaint amach mar cheanneagraíocht. Dúirt stiúrthóir an Iontaobhais ULTACH, Aodán Mac Poilín, atá lonnaithe i mBéal Feirste, go raibh eagla air go ndéanfaí “imeallú ar an Tuaisceart mar gheall ar an tsocrú úr seo, agus go mbeadh an Ghaeilge ó thuaidh níos laige dá thairbhe. Fócas deisceartach a bheas ann feasta”. Bhí imní air nach mbeadh “an saineolas, an chreidiúint, an éifeachtacht” ag na ceanneagraíochtaí nua le cúrsaí teanga a chur chun cinn chomh héifeachtach le grúpaí áitiúla agus go mbeadh cúrsaí trasphobail thíos leis faoin struchtúr nua.
Dhruidfí oifig an eagrais i mí an Mheithimh agus chaillfí ceithre phost, a dúirt sé: “Ní le leas na Gaeilge nó leas phobal na Gaeilge ó thuaidh an cinneadh seo.” Chaill an eagraíocht oideachais i mBéal Feirste, Altram, maoiniú fosta. Bhí cúig phost lánaimseartha le cailleadh, a dúirt cathaoirleach an ghrúpa, Áine Andrews. Bhí “tuiscint, taithí agus saineolas nach beag ag an eagraíocht ar dhúshláin an tumoideachais ag leibhéal na luathbhlianta sa dlínse seo. Ní bheidh sé seo ag eagraíocht atá lonnaithe i ndlínse eile…” Bhí eagla uirthi go mbeadh “bearnaí móra sa tsoláthar a rachfas go mór chun aimhleas ár bpáistí agus ár bpobail”.
Dúirt ceannasaí Chomhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge i mBaile Átha Cliath, Kevin de Barra, go raibh díomá ar an eagras maoiniú a chailleadh. Leanfadh an chomhdháil ar aghaidh mar scátheagraíocht ar an earnáil dheonach agus go mbeadh siad “ag féachaint ar bhealaí chun a dheimhniú go leanfadh tionscadail agus tograí a bhí forbartha ag an gcomhdháil le blianta fada ar aghaidh faoin struchtúr nua maoinithe”.
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Capall ard an oideachais
Eanáir 22, 2014
Tá córas maith oideachais againn; ba cheart dúinn é a cheiliúradh
Is beag rud is mó a thugann pléisiúr do dhuine ná a bheith ar a chapall ard. Ní hé atá i gceist agam a bheith ag scuabadh leat sa diallait agus na cosa a bheith thíos fút, ná tú ag fiach an tsionnaigh ina leaba rua. Is é atáim á mhaíomh ná an ceart a bheith agat fadó riamh nuair a bhí amaidí na huaire á shlogadh ag cách. Is teolaí an rud é an ceart a bheith agat anois is arís, agus sin a fhógairt le glamgháire. Cá bhfágfá na saineolaithe nuair a bhí an freagra soiléir suas id phus os do chomhair amach?
Bhí cuid againn tinn tuirseach den phíopaireacht a bhí ar bun nuair a fógraíodh torthaí PISA thiar chomh fada ar ais le 2010. Ar eagla na míthuisceana, níl aon bhaint ag PISA le Pizza, ná leis an gcathair úd san Iodáil a bhfuil an túr ag titim ann. (“Looka, ‘tis, crooka,” mar adúirt an turasóir). Is é atá ann an Programme for International Student Assessment, córas slíoctha síodúil idirnáisiúnta a shocraíonn go garbh cé acu tír a bhuann Corn an Domhain san oideachas de réir miosúr atá chomh rúndiamhrach le FIFA féin. Agus ó th’anam an diabhail, bhíomar titithe siar go mór i rás Oilimpeach na scolaíochta domhanda seachas mar a bhí cúpla bliain roimhe sin. De dhroim oíche b’amadáin agus ba bhreallsúin agus b’óinseacha agus ba dhúradáin ár n-aos óg. B’iad a bhí tugtha don leisce agus don leiciméireacht agus don leaidíocht, agus cá bhfios, do na drugaí agus do na boscraí chomh maith céanna.
Bhí oiread san tír eile tar éis preab a thabhairt tharainn sa léig idirnáisiúnta seo atá chomh tábhachtach don eacnamaíocht – agus don eacnamaíocht – agus don eacnamaíocht. Má bhíomar saibhir tráth, is léir go rabhamar le bheith bás bocht arís mura ndéanfaimis ár leasracha a chrioslú go beo. Is dá réir sin a tháinig scaoll agus líonrith ar an Aire Oideachais agus Scileanna agus Saill a Shlaiseadh, ionas gur ordaigh sé straitéis (mar cad eile a dhéanfadh duine a ordú seachas straitéis?) chun déileáil, go háirithe, leis an ngéarchéim litearthachta. Is dá réir, arís, a chuir An Chomhairle Mhúinteoireachta deireadh le léitheoireacht leabhar liteartha sna coláistí oiliúna móra, agus gur tanaíodh pé rud is litríocht ann sna cúrsaí meánscoileanna. Ar chúis éigin, ceapadh dá gcuirfí teicnící teicneacha teicniúla agus modhanna modartha miosúrúla in áit an bhunriachtanais – id est, go mbeadh ar dhaltaí rud éigin a léamh – go leigheasfaí an scéal.
Níor thúisce an scrios déanta, ná gur tháinig lucht PISA arís chugainn ar a gcarbaid órga in eireaball na bliana seo caite. Agus euríocá! Agus, ná habair é, ní féidir, ní chreidim focal de, ach bhíomar tar éis léim na seacht mbruach a thabhairt agus sinn arís i Roinn I den léig idirnáisiúnta, go háirithe sa litearthacht! Go hobann, go grod fiú, bhíomar ar aon dul leis an bhFionlainn arb iad an marc agus an caighdeán foirfe iad dar le daoine nach dtuigeann faic faoin dtír sin. Sa chás seo, nóta pearsanta. Tá garmhic agam i gcóras scolaíochta na Fionlainne. Bhíos isteach is amach sna scoileanna acu. An bhfuil aon difríocht mhór idir a ndéanann an múinteoir ansin, agus an múinteoir anseo? Níl. An mbíonn ar a gcuid páistí siúd scríobh isteach i leabhair saothair mar a bhíonn orainne? Ó bíonn. An mbíonn orthu leabhair a léamh agus pinn a chur le pár? Gach uile lá! An bhfuil draíocht faoi leith i bhfeoil an réinfhia a chuireann luas le cillíní na hinchinne? Níl. Scéal agam daoibh, nó don Aire. Níl aon rud míorúilteach mistéireach ag baint le córas oideachais na Fionlainne.
Pé feabhas atá ar chóras oideachais na tíre sin baineann sé leis an bpobal féin, fara ardchaighdeán na múinteoireachta agus díocas chun cothromaíochta. Gan amhras, mar bhall de Pháirtí an Luch Oibre Meánaicmí ba bheag í tuiscint an Aire ar a leithéid sin. Sin é an fáth, b’fhéidir, go slogann sé tuarascálacha hólas bólas. Is ionann tuarascáil a shlogadh agus gan aon mhachnamh a dhéanamh tú féin. Is ionann tuarascáil a shlogadh agus sin deireadh an scéil. Is ionann tuarascáil agus an tomhas coitianta is lú. Tá an t-oideachas tiubh le tuarascálacha ach tá gann ar ghaois. Is é bun agus lár an scéil ná gurb ionann a bheag nó a mhór gach córas oideachais in iarthar an domhain ramhair. Is iad luachanna an phobail a shocraíonn caighdeán an oideachais, agus ní a mhalairt timpeall.
Ach bhí sé go maith a bheith ceart. Ní rabhamar go maith in 2006, go hainnis in 2010, agus go hiontach arís in 2013. Duine ar bith a cheap é sin, ba cheart dó dul ar ais ar scoil.
www.irishtimes.com
Changes to the Junior Cert
Eanáir 22, 2014
Sir, – Having worked in the Academy system in the UK, I have experienced teacher-assessment first hand.
In spite of claims to a holistic or student-centred approach, teachers and students were presented and assessed in terms of results. Consequently the pressure on teachers to attain results led to “pro-active” marking. I now teach in Ireland and find that the Junior and Leaving Certificates, while cumbersome and costly, do provide transparency, accountability and, above all, equality. Both exams, however, dominate teaching and learning in Irish schools. They restrict more innovative teaching and limit learning outside of curriculums that one can pick and choose from in order to maximise points.
Some of proposed changes are to be welcomed. We need to move to a formative form of assessment that would maintain the virtues of our current system. A formal approach to continual assessment is a positive move. Nevertheless, that teachers would assess their own students would impinge upon the integrity of any such assessment. That those who seek to implement the Junior Cycle Student Award do not seem to understand the consequences that such an approach to assessment would have is worrying for all concerned. – Is mise,
NIALL COOPER,
The Ridgeway,
Bishopstown,
Cork.
www.irishtimes.com
New funding structure for Irish language sector announced
Eanáir 20, 2014
North-South language funding body Foras na Gaeilge has announced fundamental changes to how Irish language groups are funded.
The cross-Border implementation body, which was set up under the Belfast Agreement and has a role in advising the administrations North and South in matters relating to the Irish language, announced it will reduce from 19 to 6 the number of organisations provided with core funding.
The successful organisations are Gaelscoileanna, Conradh na Gaeilge, Gael Linn, Oireachtas na Gaeilge, Glór na nGael and Cumann na bhFiann. None of the six organisations are based in the North, where organisations such as Pobal, Forbairt Feirste and cross-community Irish- language charity Iontabhas Ultach will now lose a significant portion of their funding.
In the south, Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge and Forbairt Naíonraí Teo are among the groups that will no longer receive funding. Foras na Gaeilge said the move marked a “new era” in the development of the language.
www.irishtimes.com
