Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Tabharfaidh mé an freagra seo idir Gaeilge agus Béarla. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist thábhachtach seo maidir le Gaelcholáiste an Chláir in Inis. Tá comhfhreagras faighte ag mo Roinn ó phátrún Choláiste Phobail na hInse, Bord Oideachais agus Oiliúna Luimnigh agus an Chláir, ag lorg faomhadh don aonad Gaeilge sa choláiste phobail, ar a dtugtar Gaelcholáiste an Chláir, a aistriú ina Ghaelcholáiste neamhspleách.

Mar chuid den Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge 2010-2030, tá tiomantas déanta ag mo Roinn deiseanna a chruthú chun oideachas trí mheán na Gaeilge a leathnú lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht. This is in the context of the announcement of the establishment of 47 new schools from 2019, which affords particular consideration to the establishment of Gaelscoileanna, Gaelcholáistí and aonaid lán-Ghaeilge as part of the patronage process for new schools. Most new post-primary schools must have a student enrolment capacity of 600 to 1,000 students. A lower threshold of 400 students may apply to Gaelcholáistí, having regard to the alternative of establishing an Irish-medium unit or aonad in an English-medium school. This is a potential outcome from the patronage process for new schools established to cater for demographic need. It is also possible for any post-primary school patron to contact the Department to explore the establishment of an aonad in an existing school.

As the Deputy may be aware, work on the development of a new policy for Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht is now well under way in the Department. The policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht is part of the overall framework of the 20-year strategy for the Irish language and builds on the achievement of the policy on Gaeltacht education for 2017 to 2022. Included among the key objectives of the policy are the development of a clear policy on the establishment and sustainability of aonaid or sruthanna in existing English-medium post-primary schools to strengthen Irish-medium education provision and the exploration of how opportunities for the establishment of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí can be increased as part of the patronage process.

A public consultation process was launched in October 2022 to gather the views of stakeholders including young people, parents, education professionals, education stakeholders and Irish-language organisations. The first phase of this consultation, which included an online questionnaire and a call for written submissions, concluded on 30 January 2023.

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