Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

Ba mhaith liom cur leis an bhfáilte a bhronnadh ar Des Bishop, a bhí linn ar maidin. As a former educator, I am ashamed to say I have realised for some time that we are not teaching Irish in the right way. Des Bishop took a great deal of value from the year he spent in the Gaeltacht. By the time most children sit the leaving certificate, they will have spent 14 years learning Irish. It does not add up. The modhanna múinte, or methodologies, we are using are incorrect. We do not compare favourably with other European countries, in which 18 year old students have learned three or four languages. I invite the new Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, to come to the House to outline his vision for Gaeilge. What does he intend to do to change things? I am not looking for a debate right now. I know he is a new Minister. I would like him to make a statement outlining his vision for education in general. The bishops have led the way by issuing a statement of their vision for education. It is time for the Government to lead the way by setting out its vision. We need to examine what is working well in Irish language teaching. We need to focus on approaches like the tumoideachais model, which is a winner.