McHugh’s rusty Irish not the biggest challenge facing him
Iúil 28, 2014
After a week of sustained criticism for his lack of Irish, the new Minister of State for the Gaeltach Joe McHugh has begun a refresher course in Irish with the highly-regarded Liam Ó Cuinneagáin at Oideas Gael in Glencolumbcille in Co Donegal.
McHugh’s lack of fluency in Irish is not a reflection on him (he should really have been promoted years ago) but on the Government’s poor record in relation to the Irish language.
Indeed, having fluency in Irish provided absolutely no guarantee that the language would be protected or preserved.
McHugh’s predecessor Dinny McGinley is a native speaker with mellifluous Donegal Gaeltacht Irish – but poor budgets and indifference at senior levels in Government to the language ultimately meant he was an ineffectual minister.
McHugh is from Carrigart, an area of Donegal where Irish is still spoken, although not widely nor on a quotidian basis.
He would have grown up with the language and I have no doubt that by the time he leaves government, his Irish will be on a par with a few of the non-native speaking Gaeltacht ministers from the past.
Paradoxically, the sting of inadequacy may spur McHugh on to higher levels of focus, energy and motivation – there are few more effective politicians than one who has something to prove.
In sum, his struggle may not be with the language but with his own Government. It is headed by Taoiseach Enda Kenny who speaks effortless Irish but who has shown little evidence of commitment to the language in office.
As one native speaker with an interest in the future of the language remarked: “Kenny has Irish in his head but he does not have it in his heart.”
The record that McHugh inherits is patchy at best. The guiding policy is the 20-year strategy for Irish, published in 2010 by the previous government. Its aim is to increase the number of daily speakers of Irish from 83,000 to 250,000 by 2039.
And the strategy sets out an ambitious series of targets and milestones to allow that lofty aim to be achieved.
The Government inherited the strategy but did commit to implement it. But the evidence of implementation so far is that it is minimalistic and fitful. The die was cast when in the run-up the election Kenny suggested ending compulsory Irish for the Leaving Certificate.
He said there were other ways of preserving and teaching the language but did not specify any.
Since taking office, the evidence has been of a policy area that is very low on the priority list. The Government made a big play about a Cabinet Committee chaired by Kenny on the Irish language.
But for example it has only met twice this year and there are no details of anything, if anything, decided. Sure, the Government did publish the Gaeltacht Act, which redefines the Gaeltach and gives new responsibilities to Udaras na Gaeltachta.
But elsewhere there has been indifference. Government agencies and departments have done little to fulfil their obligations towards Irish.
Brendan Howlin introduced new rules which will effectively decrease the already pitifully low (about 1 per cent) number of Irish speakers in the civil service.
Former language commissioner Seán Ó Cuirreáin said it would take 28 years for the level of Irish speakers to reach 3 per cent. In fact, so frustrated was Ó Cuirreáin that he resigned from office in protest.
One of his gripes was that it was impossible to say if the strategy was being implemented. Dinny McGinley made a great play of the fact that the Taoiseach allocated €500,000 extra to implement the strategy but that, in relative terms, is a drop in the ocean. Besides the Act; some groundwork on strategy, and increasing by a week the time student teachers can spent in the Gaeltacts, little has been done in the first four and a half years of the strategy.
Of course, McHugh can’t be expected to turn it all around in 20 months.
But if he can improve the outcomes as much as he improves his Irish this week it will be: “tús maith leath na hoibre”!
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Kenny rejects fears over Ministers’ ability with Irish
Iúil 17, 2014
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has rejected a call to reconsider his appointment of two Ministers with responsibility for the Gaeltacht who are not fluent in Irish.
Mr Kenny said in Irish that when the Dáil resumes after the summer Minister of State Joe McHugh, who has direct responsibility for Gaeltacht Affairs, will be fluent in the language. The Minister is to undertake a refresher course in Irish in Glencolmcille, Co Donegal.
But Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said the appointment of two Ministers who did not have functioning Irish was a “backward step”.
He believed Mr McHugh and Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys were very capable representatives. But he said the appointments “provide further evidence of the downgrading of the Irish language and the Gaeltacht that has been the mark of this Government”.
Earlier Sinn Féin spokesman on the Gaeltacht Peadar Tóibín made a blistering attack on the Government’s attitude to the language and described it as “incredible” that neither of the two had Irish when they had responsibility for the language.
“The working language of the department now becomes English because at the top of the department the Ministers themselves can’t understand it,” the Meath West TD said.
Instead of rows about translating documents into Irish, documents in Irish would have to be translated into English so the Ministers could understand them, he said.
He said there were 800 children in the Gaeltacht who were native Irish speakers and he told the Minister: “You are saying to the children ‘learn Irish, speak Irish yourselves, speak Irish amongst your families, but don’t speak Irish to us cos we don’t have it’.”
Widespread use
Mr McHugh told him that “one person is not going to save the language” but the Ministers had a commitment to the language and to making it more widespread.
Mr Tóibín said, however, that while he did not doubt Mr McHugh’s commitment to learn the language, the “ministry of the Gaeltacht is not an Irish language course”.
Mr McHugh said, “I’m prepared to put in the work, like any job. I’ve already stated that I have to do a refresher course and I think this is about ensuring that the job is done correctly and I’m certainly going to do the best of my ability.”
Mr McHugh said the question was about bringing the language into the home and getting parents speaking Irish.
He added that there was a challenge in thinking the language. “I’m asking people to follow me in my journey, where we can reach out to people who got Cs and Bs and As in their Leaving Cert and don’t speak it but want to speak it and have a love and a grá for the Irish.”
Fianna Fáil arts spokesman Seán Ó Fearghaíl pointed to the protest by 10,000 people in Dublin in February about the status of the language and what they saw as the Government’s lack of commitment.
“I would take it we have two new brooms in the department. I don’t question your commitment but you’ll be judged at the end of the day by what you do.”
Ms Humphreys said they were committed to the 20-year strategy on the language. She added: “The big thing is the confidence because a lot of us know it but we don’t have the confidence to stand up and speak it.
“I just want to reassure you that I’m totally committed to the protection and the proper advancement of the Irish language and that it will be used much more in normal, everyday living.”
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Irish lessons not learned yet as FG women seethe
Iúil 17, 2014
There’s a grim summer in prospect for poor Joe McHugh. The new junior minister with responsibility for the Gaeltacht isn’t very good at speaking Irish.
In fact, when Joe braved his ministerial debut in the Dáil yesterday morning, he made Gerry Adams sound like Seán Bán Bhreathnach. And that’s saying something. The Sinn Féin leader is very sensitive about his proficiency in the native tongue. He doesn’t take too kindly to criticism.
He’s known to be quite grumpy with journalists who poke fun at his occasionally painful attempts to engage in the cúpla focal with Enda. So he wasn’t going to be too hard yesterday on Joe or Heather Humphreys, who is the senior Minister in the department and also a bit of a duffer when it comes to speaking the teanga.
Nonetheless, Gerry is not happy with a state of affairs where the two with responsibility for the Irish language don’t have a very good grasp of it. Earlier, his colleague Peadar Tóibín steamrolled Humphreys and McHugh with a torrent of questions as Gaeilge which they found very difficult to understand. They apologised for their lack of fluency and promised they will work hard to get up to speed.
“I have no doubt about your commitment to learn the language at this stage, but the Ministry for the Gaeltacht is not an Irish language course,” said Peader, rather prissily.
He should tell that to his leader. At times, Gerry Adams has apologised in the chamber for his ability in this regard, pointing out that the only way he will improve is by learning as he goes along.
Where the two new Ministers are concerned, it might be said that Adams is that soldier too. Except this might imply active service of some kind and Gerry was never a member any army.
Journey of discovery
“I was asleep last night and I was thinking in Irish,” Donegal’s McHugh told the Dáil, in stuttering Irish. “I was thinking in the language for the first time in a long time” he added, in English. The new junior minister hoped people would follow him on his “journey” of discovery and learn along with him.
The Taoiseach has full confidence in his man. He said he’s advised him to go off and do a course at a very good school in Donegal, “cos he’s got the language inside of him, but it’s rusty”.
The Opposition thought this hilarious.
Michael Noonan wondered where Adams, who was enjoying this little exchange at McHugh’s expense, learned his Irish. Long Kesh, replied Adams, with no small amount of pride.
Crash course
One way or another, the Taoiseach confidently told the Dáil that Joe McHugh would be back in the chamber after the summer recess, a fluent speaker. Actually, it sounded more like an order than a challenge.
No pressure there so, Joe.
Miriam Lord
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New Minister of State says ‘one person will not save the language’
Iúil 16, 2014
One person is not going to save the Irish language, Minister of State Joe Mc Hugh said in his defence after a blistering attack on the Government’s attitude to the language and the appointment of a non-fluent Irish speaker to the Gaeltacht Affairs portfolio.
Sinn Féin spokesman Peadar Tóibín said that while he would like to congratulate Mr McHugh and Cabinet Minister Heather Humphreys on their appointments, he could not because in his opinion it was unbelievable that the two Ministers did not have Irish when they had responsibility for the language.
He said the working language of the Department of the Gaeltacht would now become English because instead of the rows about translating documents into Irish they would now have to translate Irish documents into English so the Ministers would understand them.
He said there were 800 children in the Gaeltacht who were native Irish speakers and the Gaeltacht community was horrified at the Government’s lack.
Mr McHugh said: “I’m prepared to put in the work, like any job. I’ve already stated that I have to do a refresher course and I think this is about ensuring that the job is done correctly and I’m certainly going to do the best of my ability.”
He said one person was not going to save the language but the Ministers had a commitment to the language and to make it more widespread.
The Sinn Féin TD had asked in Irish what the Government was going to do to help Irish speaking communities to pass the language on to the next generation.
Mr Tóibín said he had no doubt about Mr McHugh’s commitment to learn the language at this stage but the ministry for the Gaeltacht was not an Irish language course. There are 800 children in this State with native Irish in schools in the Gaeltacht.
He said seven years ago the Irish language study stated that there was 20 years left with regard to Irish as a community language.
“There are 13 years left and the point of this is that now when people give out about English language documents having to be translated into Irish we’re going to have to have Irish language documents to be translated into English so the Ministers can understand them.”
“And the working language of the Department now becomes English because at the top of the Department the Ministers themselves can’t understand it.”
“You are saying to the children ‘learn Irish, speak Irish yourselves, speak Irish amongst yourselves but don’t speak Irish to us ‘cos we don’t have it.”
Mr McHugh said the question was about bringing the language into the home and getting parents speaking Irish.
The Minister said there was a challenge in thinking the language.
“I’m asking people to follow me in my journey, where we can reach out to people who got Cs and Bs and As in their Leaving Cert and don’t speak it but want to speak it and have a love and a grá for the Irish.”
Fianna Fáil arts spokesman Sean Ó Fearghaíl pointed to the protest by 10,000 people in Dublin in February to protest about the status of the language and what they see as this Government’s lack of commitment.
“I would take it that we have two new brooms in the Department. I don’t question your commitment but you’ll be judged at the end of the day by what you do.
“Can we see some renewed vigour on the part of yourself and the Minister of State in relation to the Plean Fiche Bliana.”
Ms Humphreys said they were committed to that. She said “I like many others learned school Irish but unfortunately if you don’t use it you lose it”.
The Minister said her parliamentary secretary got student of the year for his Irish but he was one of many who did not use it.
“We’re committed to the Irish language, absolutely. There is a huge cohort of the people there like myself. We need to book those people in and re-introduce the Irish language, that they can use it more regularly. And the big thing is the confidence because a lot of us know it but we don’t have the confidence to stand up and speak it.
“I just want to reassure you that I’m totally committed to the protection and the proper advancement of the Irish language and that it will be used much more in normal, everyday living.”
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Dúil Dúigh na ndéagóirí
Iúil 16, 2014
Tá Pléaráca Teo ag reachtáil Cúrsa Samhraidh do Dhéagóirí – “Dúil Dúigh” – idir an Luan 21ú go dtí an Satharn 26ú Iúil. Beidh an cúrsa ar siúl i Seanscoil Sailearna Indreabhán, Co na Gaillimhe, agus tá sé dírithe ar dhéagóirí idir 14 agus 17 bliain d’aois.
Beidh deis ag na rannpháirtithe amharc ar conas scripteanna a scríobh agus ar bhealaí lena gcumas cruthaitheach féin a fhorbairt. Beidh na daoine óga a ghlacann páirt ag obair le scríbhneoirí, stiúrthóirí agus daoine aitheanta i saol na n-ealaíon a bheidh in ann comhairle a thabhairt dóibh ar an chineál seo oibre.
I measc na ndaoine a bheidh ag cuidiú leo: beidh an scríbhneoir Máire Holmes; na stiúrthóirí Darach Mac Con Iomaire agus Louise Ní Fhiannachta; an t-aisteoir Greg Ó Braonáin agus fear cumtha lúibíní, Fearghas Mac Lochlainn.
Eolas: oifigeachealaiona@gmail.com
They wouldn’t, would they?
Iúil 16, 2014
As rumours circulated this morning about the imminent elevation of Fine Gael TD Joe McHugh to the post of Minister of State at the Department of the Gaeltacht, Irish speakers reacted with a mixture of bemusement and anger.
They wouldn’t, would they? They couldn’t, could they? Ní ligfeadh an náire dóibh…
Despite their reputation for being easily offended, Irish speakers have learnt to roll with the punches over the years.
By necessity they have become fluent in all known dialects of double-speak. When it comes to paying lip service to the language, our political classes have long since lost their capacity to surprise all but the most naive of Irish speakers.
Just last week the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste published a ten-page Statement of Government Priorities for the next two years. There was no mention of the Irish language or the Gaeltacht. The Irish language speaker is under no illusion about how the language is viewed by Government, and it’s been a long time since anyone made him feel like a priority.
But this was different. Nobody saw this one coming. Even as the rumours on twitter about McHugh’s appointment hardened into confident predictions, some clung to the notion that the correspondents in Leinster House must be mistaken.The idea that the Taoiseach would appoint a non-Irish-speaking “Minister for the Gaeltacht” seemed a bridge too far.
Ní ligfeadh an náire dóibh…They wouldn’t, would they? They couldn’t, could they?
Well, they just did and we now have a Gaeltacht minister who doesn’t have enough Irish to conduct a credible live interview about Gaeltacht affairs with RnaG or Nuacht TG4. The disbelief at the promotion of McHugh is, of course, no reflection on a capable, hard-working and respected public servant, but choosing to assign to him the Gaeltacht brief is a radical departure from a tradition that was seen as almost sacrosanct. The Minister with primary responsibility for the Gaeltacht and the Irish language – whether of the junior or senior caste – has always been fluent in Irish.
Our politicians have often shown great ingenuity in finding new ways to undermine the language while simultaneously professing their unceasing commitment to its promotion, but for sheer audacity and shamelessness Enda Kenny has now set the bar higher than anyone imagined it could go.
Until now, no matter what fresh calamity befell the language, at least the people of the Gaeltacht could sleep safely at night in the knowledge that when they turned on Adhmhaidin on RnaG in the morning the Minister of the Gaeltacht would be up and about defending the indefensible in their own language. Now even that comfort has been taken from them. The last pretence has been dropped.
“Lads, did ye hear the one about the Minister of the Gaeltacht who couldn’t speak Irish?” Essentially, that is what the Taoiseach is asking us while trying to keep a straight face.
Reports suggest that Joe McHugh will be taking Irish classes in his native Donegal this summer, but his plans to upskill will be of little use to him tomorrow morning. The Minister for the Gaeltacht is scheduled to answer oral questions in the Dáil at 9.30am.
There may be more interest than usual.
Quinn’s reforms were never going to be realised but a start has been made
Iúil 3, 2014
If the Department of Health is Angola, Education is Luxembourg – a conservative realm highly resistant to change – and, as incoming Minister, Ruairí Quinn was always going to have his work cut out delivering on ambitious reforms. All the more so at a time of severe financial constraints.
Yet Quinn can take some pride in small victories. He has started the long-awaited process of changing the patronage of primary schools to reflect the pluralist Ireland of today.
A limited survey of parental demand identified 28 areas where divestment might take place, and this has led to two changes of patronage – one Catholic and one Protestant – along with the creation of three new Educate Together schools. It’s hardly a revolution – 90 per cent of primary schools remain under Catholic control – but it’s a start.
It’s to Quinn’s credit, moreover, that he has developed a strategic alliance with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin that his successor can build upon.
Another key legacy, for good or ill, is the abolition of the Junior Cert exam. A new Junior Cycle Student Award is being introduced from September on a subject-by- subject basis.
While unions have concerns about the integrity of school-based assessments, these are not insurmountable and the odds are that Quinn’s plan will eventually win the day. A new minister who has less baggage will help the transition.
On budgeting, Quinn has managed the smaller kitty relatively well. Teacher numbers have grown in line with the population, and the school building programme continues with €2 billion committed to 275 new schools and extensions.
By Quinn’s own admission, this ringfencing of resources has been helped by the fact that three out of the four members of the Economic Management Council – Enda Kenny, Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin – are teachers. But against that there has been a squeeze on supports for special educational needs.
While staff numbers have grown, teachers and parents say it is not meeting the increased rate of diagnosis.
Quinn has failed the grasp the nettle of third-level funding. Having been stung by a broken pre-election promise not to raise the student registration charge, he has set up a working group to examine the issue – to report before the general election.
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Schools urged to publish polices showing they are ‘genuinely inclusive’
Iúil 2, 2014
Schools under religious patronage are being urged by the Department of Education to publish policies explaining exactly how they include people of other faiths and none.
In a progress report on the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector, the Department says there are schools which are “very welcoming and open towards pupils of all backgrounds”.
However, “all of these schools may not reflect these good practices fully in their written policies”.
Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn notes that one of the issues highlighted by the report of the forum on pluralism and patronage is “respecting a child’s rights not to receive religious instruction”.
The report also notes that the divestment of patronage “has not been as rapid as originally envisaged”, although some progress has been made in transferring ownership.
On diversity policies in schools, the Department says it accepts “one size does not fit all” but it advocates better communication between patrons and parents.
A number of options are proposed to facilitate children opting out of religious instruction, including moving them to another room for supervision, or to another class during faith formation lessons.
Another option is to cluster such religious classes “so that for example, rather than having 30 minutes per day five days a week it would be possible to have one or two longer sessions per week.
“This would facilitate withdrawal arrangements. However, there would be concerns about pedagogical issues for younger children with such long lessons, which may not be suitable for younger children.”
Citing a “potential mismatch between aspiration and achievement” in inclusivity, the report notes: “There is a risk that the absence of a complaint from a parent will be equated with satisfaction.”
It continues: “A school which permits enrolment by those of a different faith group or of no faith, but does not move actively to welcome these pupils and include them is taking a very minimalist view of inclusiveness. The absence of active discouragement to enrol does not equal a genuinely open and inclusive approach on the part of the school.”
The report follows a consultation process which attracted 434 submissions from parents, teachers and other stakeholders.
The document “aims to inform schools of emerging good practices on inclusivity, rather than being prescriptive”, the Department said, although it contains implied criticism of certain practices.
Some 90 per cent of the state’s 3,169 primary schools are under Catholic patronage, and a further 6 per cent are controlled by Protestant churches. The report notes this is “unique among developed countries” and doesn’t reflect the pluralist nature of Ireland today.
Some 43 areas were surveyed following the forum’s original report in 2012, and in 28 of them “sufficient demand for a greater choice of patronage was identified”. However, this has led to only two changes of patronage: at a Church of Ireland school at Ballysokerry, outside Ballina, Co Mayo; and at a former Christian Brothers school in Basin Lane, Dublin.
Both are coming under the patronage Educate Together, which is also setting up three new schools under the Department’s reform process in Malahide, Co Dublin; Trim, Co Meath and Tramore, Co Waterford.
Professor John Coolahan who chaired the patronage forum said the update was “valuable and timely”. The document “provides guidance to school communities on being more inclusive into the future”, he said.
“While it notes that progress on the recommended divestment of patronage process has been less than expected to date, the document indicates that Irish society is moving towards a more pluralist primary school system, respecting the rights of all citizens. It also reflects a more informed public awareness of the issues than was the case a few years ago.”
Publishing the report, Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn said: “Denominational patrons have been an important part of this and will continue to play a strong role in our education system. However, our schools can be busy places. There is a risk that we can overlook some fundamental rights to which pupils and their parents are entitled.
“These issues may not be a pressing concern for parents who are happy with their children’s schools. This does not, however, release us from our responsibilities to make sure that schools are as welcoming and as inclusive as possible to all pupils of all backgrounds, beliefs and nationalities.”
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‘Croíról’ ag Altram – Roinn Oideachais an Tuaiscirt
Meitheamh 30, 2014
Tá an Roinn Oideachais i dTuaisceart Éireann le “maoiniú eatramhach” a chur ar fáil don eagras réamhscolaíochta, Altram – eagras atá i ndiaidh a maoiniú a chailleadh ó Fhoras na Gaeilge – ach eagras a bhfuil “croíról” ag a gcuid seirbhísí sa Ghaeloideachas, de réir na roinne. Thug an Roinn Oideachais le fios i ráiteas inniu go mbeadh “easnamh” i maoiniú Altram “le haghaidh seirbhísí réamhscolaíochta i ndiaidh na n-athruithe a thug Foras na Gaeilge isteach mar gheall ar chinneadh de chuid na hAireachta Thuaidh Theas anuraidh”.
Dúirt Aire Oideachais an Tuaiscirt, John O’Dowd (SF), go raibh Altram ag soláthar “réimse de shaintacaíocht thábhachtach d’earnáil na réamhscolaíochta Gaeilge. Tá éiginnteacht ag baint faoina bhfuil i ndán do chuid de na seirbhísí. I bhfianaise na tábhachta atá, dar liom féin, leis an chroíról atá ag seirbhísí oideachais luathbhlianta maidir le soláthar fhíseanna agus chuspóirí na Roinne tá socraithe agam roinnt maoiniú gearrthéarmach idirthréimhseach a chur ar fáil le seirbhísí a chosaint san eastodhchaí.
“Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta a bhainisteoidh an maoiniú le seirbhísí riachtanacha tacaíochta a chothabháil sa soláthar réamhscolaíochta Gaeilge. Tá rún agam fosta an dóigh le seirbhísí a chur ar fáil don earnáil seo a athbhreithniú lena chinntiú gur féidir bealach chun cinn níos straitéisí a shocrú agus a fheidhmiú chomh luath agus is féidir”.
Bhí Altram ar cheann de na grúpaí a chaill maoiniú ó Fhoras na Gaeilge i ndiaidh gur chuir an foras atheagar ar an earnáil dheonach agus laghdaíodh líon na n-eagras ó 19 go sé cinn. Tá na sé cheanneagraíocht in ainm tús a chur lena ré nua ar an tseachtain seo chugainn ach níl eolas cruinn ar fáil faoi láthair cé mhéad duine a bheas fostaithe acu. Tá cainteanna ar siúl idir na ranna thuaidh agus theas, an foras agus na heagraíochtaí iad féin faoin cheist seo i rith an ama.
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Increasing birth rate puts pressure on schools
Meitheamh 30, 2014
The sharp increase in Ireland’s birth rate over the past 15 years is reflected again the key statistics released by the Department of Education and Skills this morning.
Nearly 16,000 additional children entered our school system last September, with 9,895 additional children at primary and 5,852 at second level.
The process of amalgamating small schools, which is being resisted by communities in rural areas continues apace. Even though there was an increase of almost 10,000 children in our primary schools last year, they were taught in seven fewer schools than in 2012, with the number of mainstream primary school dropping from 3,152 to 3,145.
This decrease is a combination of the establishment of 16 new schools, mainly in areas of growing population, and the closure or amalgamation of 23 schools. There are now 1,351 primary schools with fewer than 100 pupils, with 600 of these having fewer than 50.
This process is also ongoing at second level where the number of secondary schools decreased by two to 373, although there was an increase of four in the number of vocational schools to 256, and by one community and comprehensive school bringing their number to 94, giving an overall increase of two additional second-level schools .
Half of these schools have more than 500 pupils, although 15 second-level schools have less than 100. These changes in the numbers of schools in each sector at second level are reflected in the numbers of students attending each school type, increasing by 3,051 in VEC schools, 1,779 in secondary schools and 1,022 within the community and comprehensive sector.
Surprisingly, given the need to provide education and training for our growing population and to meet the needs of prospective employers, the number of vocational schools offering Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) programmes dropped from 139 to 131.
PLC programmes
This decrease in colleges offering PLC programmes is reflected in a drop of 1,521 students taking such programmes in 2013/2014, bringing their numbers down to 34,003.
Due to budget changes last year, the pupil-teacher ratio in PLC programmes increased sharply which is reflected in an increase from 18.7 to 19.8. This is in contrast to the PTR in the rest of the second-level sector which remained at 13.9. The number of teachers employed in the PLC sector decreased by 185 to 1,719.
It would appear that Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn, in attempting to fund increases in our first- and second-level school going population, has done so by cutting back severely the provision for PLC programmes.
Reflecting these additional 15,747 students at first- and second-level, the numbers of teaching posts increased by 1,090, with an increase of 653 teaching staff full-time equivalent posts at first and 437 at second level. There are an additional 653 teaching posts in primary schools but only 270 of them are working as teachers in mainstream classes.
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