Dr. Tony Gaynor:

I will address some of the questions asked and might pass some of them to colleagues.

Many questions were raised for the Department, the first of which came from Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh who mentioned the word “crisis”. If we were to talk about buildings and capital infrastructure in general, with the projected demographics, it would be appropriate to use that word because the Department is facing a significant challenge in terms of the numbers of children being born and the numbers we will have to accommodate in school buildings in general, irrespective of the medium of provision. Upwards of 20,000 pupils will enter the primary school system in the next few years and the immediate priority is to provide accommodation and infrastructure for these pupils to ensure they will have a school place.

In terms of accommodating language provision, Mr. Mac Fhlannchadha might touch on the Gaeltacht review that is ongoing. It is a combination of parental preference at a local level - the Department is surveying parents and taking a very active role in that respect; demographics, a patron who is willing to establish a school in a particular area and value for money. We recognise the particular needs of Gaeltacht areas where there are a number of small schools. The Minister has been clear in her response to the value for money review of small schools that was produced a few years ago and provided reassurance for small schools regarding their continued existence as a hub for communities.

The issue of COGG resources was raised. We recognise the fantastic work done by the COGG in recent years in providing curricular supports for students at primary and post-primary level. There have been constraints in terms of numbers across the public and civil service in the past few years, but, as Ms Ní Mhóráin said, it is great to be able to allocate two additional education officers to the COGG to help it to meet the new demands and challenges it will face in the new curricular developments coming down the track.

The issue of teacher supply was also mentioned by a couple of speakers. It is crucial that we ensure we have the right teachers in the right schools who have the ability to deliver through the Irish language. The ongoing review by the Teaching Council of teacher supply is relevant in this issue regard. It is not specifically focused on the Irish language because we are facing challenges in a number of subject areas, but it will include a focus on what is required to ensure we have that supply of Irish teachers who are trained to an appropriate standard to deliver the curriculum in Irish-medium schools. We have also, as mentioned, improved the redeployment process to try to match supply and demand for Irish-medium schools. As we recognise the particular expertise required to teach in Irish-medium schools, we have made improvements in the past couple of years, but it is an ongoing evolution which can be adapted and improved over time.

On the Senator’s query regarding the 1916 Rising, I also attended the launch of the Ireland 2016 programme yesterday. The Department of Education and Skills has a comprehensive programme in place as part of the overall programme and it goes without saying we will be ensuring resources will be produced bilingually and that any competition organised by the Department will be run on a bilingual basis.

Deputy Ciarán Cannon raised the issue of the preservation of the Irish language being much larger than the education system. We have a key role to play in this regard which we are playing in conjunction with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under the 20-year strategy for the Irish language. However, there is also a role for society outside schools. We can only expect the school system to do so much. We can improve what we do, but there is a call for other stakeholders to play their part.

A couple of other questions were raised about immersion education and the Gaeltacht review in general. I might pass them to my colleague, Mr. Mac Fhlannchadha, to answer.