Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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8. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills how she intends to deliver on the programme for Government commitment to expand opportunities for students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí; if it is her commitment, as it was her predecessor’s, to “work towards doubling the number of young people currently in Irish-medium schools” (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8490/25]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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How does the Minister intend to deliver on the programme for Government commitment to expand opportunities for students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí? Is it her commitment, as it was her predecessor's, to work towards increasing the number of young people currently in Irish-medium schools, as was committed to in the previous programme for Government but is not committed to in the current programme? Will she make a statement on the matter?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta, as an gceist sin a chur. As the Deputy rightly mentioned, there is a commitment in the programme for Government to expand opportunities for pupils and students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí. I intend to prioritise the publication of a new policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht. The policy, together with an action plan, is currently being developed and I intend to bring it to Government for approval in the coming months. This has come about following a significant amount of stakeholder engagement and I have asked my officials to examine how we can create more opportunities for children and young people to receive their education through the medium of Irish. Engagement and collaboration with the Irish-medium education sector will be key to progressing this. Under this policy, we will work with key stakeholders to examine opportunities and support more children to receive their education as Gaeilge.

By way of information, over the past five years the amount of capital investment in Irish-medium schools is €405 million, which is significant. Of course, we all want to see more. I also intend to launch a survey of primary school communities in the coming months. We have been working through the survey and hope to announce it shortly. This survey will ensure that we have a better picture. It is important to get a picture of the needs, what it is that parents and students want, so we can plan for the future. It is planned that the survey will ask parents for their preference for the primary language of educational provision in their school, whether it is to be provided as Béarla or as Gaeilge. The results of the survey will help us to plan how we will provide education at primary level into the future. This initiative, along with other work, will help to identify the opportunities for increasing Irish-medium provision at primary and post-primary level.

This is all about ensuring that parents have a choice. If parents want to send their children to a school that is English-speaking or Irish-speaking, we want them to have that choice within their communities and in the vicinity of where they live. For that to happen, we need to have a clear picture and the survey will, therefore, be very important. A considerable amount of stakeholder engagement has happened to date and that will feed into the policy. That will be important to our ability to plan and project.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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What is needed is action. I appreciate the action plan and the survey have roles in that regard. I emphasised in my question a number of pieces that were included in the previous programme for Government but are not included in the current one, including increasing the emphasis on spoken Irish in the classroom, working towards the doubling of the number of young people currently in Irish-medium schools, providing a comprehensive policy for the Irish language from pre-primary level to teacher education for all schools, and increasing supports to An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta. I hope the commitment is still there and that we see it in an action plan, along with a range of other measures. Most importantly, I hope those measures are actioned.

Sinn Féin will bring a comprehensive motion relating to Irish-language education to the Dáil next week. I hope there is a lot in that for the Minister to take and run with. There is enormous opportunity. We all benefit. There is a richness to an Irish-language education that our children have a right to.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. In order to inform the development of the policy, there has been a comprehensive public consultation and it is important that we get the views of all stakeholders who have a say in this. That is key to informing what we do next. One of the issues that has been raised with me regularly relates to the development of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí. We need to cast the net a bit wider and consider a greater number of feeder schools to be able to determine whether there is a requirement in an area. That is something I have asked my officials to examine. That takes into account a lower number when it comes to the projections for our schools. Some 600 are required for post-primary but when it comes to Gaelcholáistí, the relevant number is 400. There is an acknowledgement that there is not the same level of demand, but at the same time, there is significant demand there.

It is also not just about the buildings but is about ensuring that we teach the language in the best way possible. We have seen changes to the junior cycle specifications. There are currently significant reviews happening to see how that is working and how it is benefiting young people. When it comes to the senior cycle, an enormous amount of work is happening to ensure that when there is change to tranche 4, it can be rolled out in the best way possible.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister. It is all about action on this issue. In the area the Minister and I represent, there is appetite for this. In south Meath are Gaelscoil na Rithe, Gaelscoil Thulach na nÓg, Gaelscoil na Mí and Gaelscoil na Cille. There is a thriving Irish-language community at primary level and yet while we repeatedly built secondary schools in that area, none of them have been Gaelcholáistí. There is a real job of work to ensure that avenue is there for students.

Referring again to the area the Minister and I represent, and it is reflected in other areas, there is a challenge for níonraí to sustain themselves and to be supported to ensure that our children have a pathway from pre-school to secondary school and third level. There is a big opportunity. I would like to think that this Government will make progress on the issue. It will certainly have willing co-operation from us in the Opposition.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am committed to ensuring that parents, students and young people have that choice. In our county of Meath, we can see the huge number of developments and, in particular, the number of Gaelscoileanna that have been built in recent years in the south of the county. We also have established Gaeltacht areas, of which we are all proud. When children go to post-primary school, I want them to have the choice of moving to Gaelcholáistí. That is why the plan is important to ensure we have the right structures in place and an understanding of what is needed. The survey will feed into that and help us to discover the demand at primary level. That then helps to feed into the post-primary level. There is work to do. I am committed to working with all stakeholders and, in particular, ensuring that we support our níonraí, teachers and parents to make the right choices for them and their families. When children are in school, we must ensure the best possible curriculum for them. That is why the reform of the junior cycle and the review of it is important. As we progress the senior cycle review, it is important we get it right and work with stakeholders.