Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)

It is nearly 60,000 in secondary school. What the Minister mentioned about primary school is great but the reality in schools does not match the picture she is painting.

We need real leadership from the Minister. We need it from the top down. We cannot leave the decision up to principals on their own any more. The rate of exemptions depends entirely on where a child goes to school. In some places, they are granted almost automatically and in others hardly at all. There are simple practical fixes to this. The coiste Gaeilge in its last term produced a report with many recommendations. We can bring back foundation level at junior cycle, allow an oral-only option for students who struggle with reading and writing, give teachers time and resources to differentiate properly in class and address the reality that additional learning support classes are being timetabled at the same time as Gaeilge, which is another example of Gaeilge being less than. If the Department truly values Irish and inclusion, then I would love the opportunity, as would many Teachtaí here, to work with the Minister and Department on this.

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