Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 14 June 2023

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community

An tÉileamh don Ghaeloideachas: an Roinn Oideachais

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ó thaobh an ETB de, tá an méid a dúirt an Teachta an-suimiúil agus tarlaíonn sé in áiteanna. Mar shampla, i gCiarraí, tá an Gaelcholáiste ann agus tá an ETB i bhfeighil, agus tá na Gaelscoileanna ann agus an ETB atá i bhfeighil freisin. There may well be potential in what the Deputy is saying but he will be conscious as he already referenced it, that we are looking at that policy. To go back to the previous point the Deputy raised, the policy on Irish medium education outside the Gaeltacht is also looking at how we can explore opportunities and what methods we can introduce to strengthen the establishment of Gaelscoileanna, Gaelcholáistí and the aonaid lán-Ghaeilge. The aonad does not always get the best press but we have seen it worked and I have referenced what I have seen in my county. The Gaelcholáiste we have presently started out as an aonad, but that is neither here nor there. There are opportunities here, including the suggestion the Deputy has made around the ETBs. The overall policy will be looked at in terms of what mechanisms and strengths there are and that is an idea in that regard.

I understand the logic of the Deputy's point on the naíonraí. If we have the naíonra, that will progress them onto the next stage and so on. Again, that may well be part of the eventual deliberation of the policy because the policy is specifically looking at what mechanisms we can introduce to grow the future establishment of the Gaelscoil or the Gaelcholáiste. What was the other point the Deputy made?

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