Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The two new roles support the work of the class teachers and complement other teaching and care support provided for targeted students. They will play a pivotal role into the future. As the Deputy said, the positions were originally advertised by the NCSE in 2022. However, there was a poor response to the recruitment campaign and only two advisers and specialist classroom support personnel were appointed. A further recruitment campaign is under way.

There is also an undergraduate pilot programme in DCU that enables deaf or hard-of-hearing people who use ISL to enter primary teaching. It is a four-year, full-time honours degree specifically designed for deaf or hard-of-hearing students who communicate through ISL. The students are not required to demonstrate ability in the Irish language.

In relation to the education system, Post-Primary Languages Ireland has developed a specification for a short course in ISL, available as part of the new junior cycle. The leaving certificate applied programme, a two-year programme, provides a course in sign language which develops awareness and appreciation of the Irish deaf community and its culture.

See this speech in context