Dáil debates
Thursday, 17 July 2025
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
Irish Language
4:05 am
Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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83. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider introducing a three-week mandatory Gaeltacht course for every student studying Irish at leaving certificate level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40612/25]
Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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I will touch on the inability of so many Irish people to converse in our national language on leaving secondary school after 14 years of education. This is obviously something a lot of people talk about but I am concerned about whether we are actually addressing it and enhancing the ability of all of us to communicate as Gaeilge. Will the Minister consider introducing a three-week mandatory Gaeltacht course for every leaving certificate student studying Gaeilge?
Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In line with the 20-year strategy for the Irish language, my Department is committed to improving the teaching and learning of Irish in primary and post-primary schools. I share the Deputy's concern. We all went through school and would like to have better Irish than we do. While there are no plans to make attendance at a Gaeltacht summer course mandatory, my Department is mindful that we need a flexible approach to giving students opportunities for immersive experiences in the Irish language outside of school. These must take into account the needs, preferences and geographical location of students. As someone who attended Gaeltacht courses numerous times when I was younger, I see the many benefits they have for our young people. I support the provision of activities through Irish outside school hours.
I intend to publish an action plan for Irish in English-medium schools and commence its implementation. This builds on the work of a new unit established within the Department in 2024 to support the teaching and learning of Irish in schools that function through English. The plan is built on the structure of our earlier Gaeltacht plan, which has really enhanced and strengthened the teaching of Irish in our Gaeltacht regions. I want to make sure that the plan for the teaching of Irish in English-medium schools is just as successful.
In consultation with relevant organisations, my Department is exploring how children’s and young people’s use of Irish outside of school can be facilitated through increasing awareness of the opportunities currently available, encouraging student participation in these activities and extending these opportunities, where possible. We are particularly focusing on making it fun and enjoyable and ensuring it does not feel like a challenge, as it is for many children in school.
With regard to Gaeltacht summer courses, my Department’s inspectorate provides advice and monitors and reports on matters relating to teaching, learning and general quality. The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht supports and promotes Irish language summer courses in Gaeltacht regions in a number of ways. Under scéim na bhfoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge, the Irish language learners scheme, a subsidy is payable to qualifying Gaeltacht households providing accommodation for students attending Irish language courses.
4:15 am
Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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After 14 years of education, it seems like the whole purpose is to get to the leaving certificate exam and to get as many points as possible out of it. That is the sense among a lot of students when they leave school. The instant the oral is over and the paper is written, they feel they are finished with Irish and stop practising it. The love of it and the whole point of why they are studying it have not been introduced.
I am concerned about the NCCA proposal to reduce the Irish oral exam to 35% from 40%. It should be going in the opposite direction to 50%. When students leave after studying Gaeilge for so many years, they should have a confidence in speaking Irish, similar to the way students who, after five or six years studying German, French or Spanish, would be confident to attempt a conversation in those languages. Enhancing the oral exam on that side would be a very positive thing.
Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I mentioned a strategy that was currently being developed. The plan is to finalise that in the coming weeks. It builds on extensive consultation that took place at national and school stakeholder levels between January and May of this year. We met almost 200 participants at a national level and over 500 participants at school level. The consultation showed that, exactly as the Deputy pointed out, children and young people wanted to be able to speak Irish. They wanted to be able to speak it outside of school as well.
It is important that we have a multifaceted and flexible approach to giving students different opportunities for immersive experiences. The only way to learn a language is to be immersed in it and listening to it, speaking it and hearing it. That is not what happens in our schools, except for Gaeltacht schools, Gaelcholáistí and Gaelscoileanna. The action plan is looking at how we can create that for young people.
Separately, the review of the leaving certificate is happening at the moment. While the specifications for Irish have not been finalised, that work is under way. We have to look at the changes that took place at junior cycle level. We have to learn from those, identify what has worked and what has not worked, and make sure any changes to our leaving certificate senior cycle curriculum encourage, support and make Irish enjoyable for our learners. That is what I have asked the objective to be.
Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has lined up my final point perfectly in terms of immersive experiences. Gaeltacht courses for student teachers are free for primary teachers but are costing post-primary teachers about €2,000 when they have to do them. It has been raised with me numerous times in Mary Immaculate College in Thurles by the staff and particularly by the students there. It is an obstacle for students when they are looking at a course or considering what subjects they would like to teach at the end of their college educations. It is an extra financial barrier that they would not have to face if they chose business, maths or something else. I have asked a good few times why the post-primary teachers cannot get that free course while the primary teachers can. The answer coming back from the Department is that they have other options, namely, they could go to a Gaelcholáiste or do different things. As the Minister just said, though, the immersive experience is by far the most beneficial. We need to look at offering free fees for summer Gaeltacht courses for post-primary teachers.
Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is right that the current requirement for the mandatory tréimhsí foghlama sa Ghaeltacht, the Gaeltacht learning periods for primary initial teacher education programmes, is the two-week placement. This is outlined in the Teaching Council's policy, entitled "Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education". The funding was provided for that in budget 2020. The grant rate is set at about €845 per placement and the cost is about €2.3 million. That is not something that has always been in place and the fund was not available previously but it has now been provided for.
Any provision of funding for post-primary teachers would have to be negotiated through the budget. I fully take on board the Deputy's point. If we want young people to have that immersive experience, their teachers need to get the best training possible at every level, not just at primary level. We must make sure that our post-primary teachers have that access as well. It will have to be considered in an overall budgetary context.