Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Creidim go bhfuil sé tábhachtach go ndéanfaimis cainteoirí dúchais Gaeilge agus scoláirí a bhfuil cónaí orthu i gceantair Ghaeltachta agus a bhfuil ardchumas acu sa teanga a mhealladh le bheith ina múinteoirí. Chun é seo a bhaint amach, tá soláthar ann le fada inar féidir suas le 10% d’áiteanna ar an gclár Baitsiléir Oideachais trí mheán an Bhéarla sna ceithre Institiúid Ardoideachais do bhunmhúinteoirí a chur in áirithe d’iarrthóirí a bhfuil cónaí orthu sa Ghaeltacht oifigiúil agus arb í an Ghaeilge a bpríomhtheanga baile.

Maidir le ceist an tsoláthair múinteoirí, tá roinnt forbairtí ann a bhaineann le líon na múinteoirí Gaeilge ag an iar-bhunleibhéal a mhéadú agus leis an soláthar múinteoirí do scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge a mhéadú. Tá roinnt gníomhartha á gcur i bhfeidhm faoin bpolasaí don oideachas Gaeltachta chun cur leis an soláthar agus le cumas Gaeilge múinteoirí bunscoile agus iar-bhunscoile ar féidir leo múineadh trí mheán na Gaeilge ag na leibhéil fochéime agus iarchéime araon. Ina measc seo tá Baitsiléir Oideachais nua ceithre bliana trí mheán na Gaeilge do mhúinteoirí bunscoile le critéir bhreise iontrála agus fágála Gaeilge a thosaigh in Institiúid Oideachais Marino le déanaí agus tá Máistreacht Oideachais nua dhá bhliain trí mheán na Gaeilge san oideachas lán-Ghaeilge agus Gaeltachta le critéir bhreise iontrála agus fágála Gaeilge do mhúinteoirí agus do phríomhoidí bunscoile agus iar-bhunscoile a thosaigh i gColáiste Mhuire gan Smál in 2018.

Tá roinnt tacaíochtaí maoinithe eile á dtairiscint don oideachas lán-Ghaeilge tríd an bpolasaí don oideachas Gaeltachta. Mar shampla, cuireann an Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta & Gaelscolaíochta, COGG, deontais ar fáil agus tá gníomh breise pleanáilte do chlár iar-bhunoideachais á chur chun cinn ag mo Roinn faoi láthair.

Tuigim go maith na deacrachtaí a bhíonn ag roinnt iar-bhunscoileanna agus iad ag iarraidh poist teagaisc don Ghaeilge a líonadh.

Tiontóidh mé ar an mBéarla anois. Following on from the publication of the teacher supply action plan, since 2019 higher education institutions, HEIs, have put in place a number of new four-year undergraduate initial teacher education, ITE, programmes, which aim to increase the supply of post-primary teachers of targeted subjects, including Irish. These programmes provide 120 new places for students annually who on graduation will be qualified to teach Irish in post-primary schools with the first graduates expected in 2023.

In addition to the new four-year programmes, the Department of Education is currently planning for the introduction during 2021-22 of a new flexible programme to upskill post-primary teachers to teach Irish. I am also pleased that a new level 9 part-time certificate course for post-primary subject teachers in Irish-medium schools, aonaid lán-Ghaeilge or Gaeltacht schools, has recently commenced in Mary Immaculate College.

We must also provide flexible shorter-term supports to allow our teachers maintain and improve their standard of Irish on an ongoing basis. I am pleased to say that these supports are available through our national teacher education support services, courses in local education centres and through the provision of summer courses for primary teachers.

Baineann an dara mír ar chlár oibre an lae inniu leis na deontais do mhúinteoirí faoi oiliúint chun tabhairt faoi na socrúcháin foghlama sa Ghaeltacht atá mar chuid dá dturas foghlama. Mar Aire, bhí an-áthas orm go raibh ar mo chumas i mbuiséad na bliana seo soláthar a dhéanamh chun an deontas Gaeltachta a thabhairt ar ais chun tacú le mic léinn agus iad ag íoc as costais an tsocrúcháin Gaeltachta. This provision also included an additional €2 million in Gaeltacht grant funding in 2021 towards the cost of placements postponed from 2020 as a result of Covid-19 restrictions. The rate of the grant for 2021 was set at an average of €650 which covered the cost of undertaking a two-week online programme. Due to the prevailing public health guidelines which made it impossible to have the normal Gaeltacht placement experience it was clear that an alternative had to be found for those students affected to enable them complete their teacher education programme and graduate as planned. This alternative, which was developed in collaboration with all of the relevant stakeholders, was an adaptation of the existing Gaeltacht course and delivered online by Gaeltacht Colleges. Cé gurbh é an chéad rogha do gach duine a raibh baint acu leis seo ná freastal ar chúrsaí sa Ghaeltacht mar a bhíodh i gceist go traidisiúnta, is mian liom tréaslú leis na páirtithe go léir, go háirithe na coláistí Gaeltachta agus na hinstitiúidí ardoideachais, as teacht le chéile ar réiteach chomh tapa sin ionas go bhféadfadh mic léinn riachtanais an chláir oideachais múinteoirí a chomhlíonadh agus a mbliain acadúil a chríochnú.

As members will be aware, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, has opened the consultation process on the new L1 and L2 leaving certificate curriculum draft subject specifications for Irish. Mindful of the challenging circumstances the education sector is facing due to Covid-19, the NCCA council has recently decided to extend the period for consultation on draft subject specifications and it will now run until the end of November 2021.

Mar fhocal scoir, ní mian liom athrá a dhéanamh ar an bhfaisnéis atá leagtha amach sa nóta faisnéise a cuireadh ar fáil. Táim sásta, áfach, aon cheisteanna a d’fhéadfadh a bheith ag comhaltaí a fhreagairt agus, má tharlaíonn nach féidir liom ceist ar leith a fhreagairt, beidh mé sásta a shocrú go gcuirfidh na hoifigigh i mo Roinn cibé eolas breise is gá ar fáil. Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach.