Ms Treasa Ní Mhainín:

Both Ms Ní Chartúir and I might take up the questions. On the pupil-teacher ratio, up to approximately three years ago, gaelscoileanna had a more favourable retention rate - the Department will be able to clarify this - but then they lost it. My understanding is the more favourable retention rate was to ensure that, as Ms Anna Ní Chartúir already had stated, teachers need to put in more time because there was a lot more work to do, including translation, for schools that were teaching through the medium of Irish. This is my understanding of it anyway. There was a lot more work to do in such schools, be they in a Gaeltacht or in a Gaelscoil setting. Consequently, Gaeltacht schools had a more preferential retention rate until last year, after which it basically was wiped out.

As for the recommendations we have made, in a nutshell, proper education planning and accounting must happen that would take into account the varying linguistic challenges that lie in each Gaeltacht area. This must be done by the Department of Education and Skills before making any changes to pupil-teacher ratios or anything else pertaining to education in the Gaeltacht from now on. This is actually stated in the 20-year strategy for the Irish language, which sets out in black and white what the Department must do. As for the absence of educational planning, while everyone understands that cuts must be made, why make them and then carry out reviews, value-for-money reports and everything else? Why always put the cart before the horse? Could we not for once have proper planning, whereby we approach education in the manner it should be approached, as teachers do in schools? As they plan their classes, lessons and year, can this not be done at a higher level?

As for the question the Deputy asked regarding An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta, COGG, that recommendation has been made time and again through various studies that have been published from 2005 onwards. It has been recommended that a separate entity or body be set up to ensure that Gaeltacht schools are fulfilling their statutory regulations under the Education Act but that such a body be separate from the Department. I believe that had such an entity be set up, we would not be talking about it before the joint committee today. No planning has been done by the Department of Education and Skills, even though views have been expressed, as well as this, that and the other thing. However, these are bits and pieces coming year after year or whatever. This should have been done before any cuts or before anything else. We should have known what we were talking about and what was going to come in the future. That basically is the source of this recommendation. The studies to which I refer primarily are Staid Reatha na Scoileanna Gaeltachta, which was published in 2004, Struchtúr Oideachais na Gaeltachta, which I think was published in 2007 and an Staidéar Cuimsitheach Teangeolaíoch ar Úsáid na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht, which also was published in 2007. They are the three primary studies that were published and which recommended that such a separate entity would be set up.

As for the review, is dóigh liom gurb é an Teachta Ó Snodaigh a d'iarr mar gheall ar an athbhreithniú atá le déanamh. Tagaim ar ais go dtí pointe a rinne an tUasal Loftus mar gheall ar forward planning. Is iontach go deo an rud é má tá an Roinn ag féachaint ar phleanáil chun cinn a dhéanamh maidir leis an oideachas Gaeltachta. While it would be great if the Department is looking at this review as a means of forward planning for Gaeltacht education, I reiterate the point I have made continuously today, which is it should have been done before any cuts were made.

Senator Moloney asked whether Gaeltacht schools will close. I can give her one example of a Gaeltacht school that has closed. It has not actually closed because of numbers but it closed because their numbers fell too low for the school to remain viable. However, on the point the Senator made, it was a Gaeltacht school in category B. In other words, it was neither the weakest nor the strongest but was in the middle of the road. However, it was a wonderful school that had a wonderful Irish policy and everything else. The children concerned moved to a Gaeltacht school that teaches through the medium of English and were completely and utterly lost for months. My organisation carried out a survey from the middle of last month up to the end of the first week of this month, approximately. However, we then were obliged to call a halt to it even though schools were still responding to us. To give the Senator an indication in respect of the points she raised, in the eventuality that schools must amalgamate because of the changes in the pupil-teacher ratio, 10% of Gaeltacht schools have indicated to us that they would be amalgamating with English-medium schools. Moreover, 50% of the schools have indicated they will be under severe pressure to amalgamate because of the changes in the pupil-teacher ratio. As to whether there would be a category change for the schools, 27% of the schools responded there would be. Moreover, as has been recognised, this would involve going down the linguistic categories, not going up. As for whether schools will be threatened with closure, 32% responded they would. These are the statistics that have come back to us as an indication of the survey we carried out

I will make two other brief points in response to the last two speakers. A proactive approach certainly is needed from the Department in respect of amalgamations. Time and again, the schools have told us they would love the Department to be involved in the process of amalgamation. They would welcome guidance of some kind or that something was available to them as to how to go about it. Schools are clueless, as they are there to teach children, not to go through the business of amalgamating, which is another kettle of fish. As for the one-size-fits-all approach, an interesting point I wish to take up is that time and again, due consideration is not given to the language aspect where Gaeltacht schools are concerned. This was highlighted the most with Circular 0044/2007 on language and literacy in infant classes in Irish-medium schools. While it was withdrawn, I think it is coming back in again and when that happens, will be prescribed in the primary curriculum. What was good for the goose was good for the gander in this regard because it satisfied Gaelscoileanna to a certain point. I believe the Department's view is that if it is okay for gaelscoileanna, then it is fine for the Gaeltacht schools. However, that is not satisfactory at all. As members themselves have stated today, a proactive approach is needed, as well as a very different attitude towards the Gaeltacht when it comes to education and planning for the future.