Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 376: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the action she is taking for teachers who feel, according to the European Commission and Department of Education Report, that they do not have enough Irish to teach the language correctly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13403/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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When teachers apply for employment as teachers in primary schools in Ireland, having qualified outside the State, they are required to have competence in teaching Irish. Under Directive 2005/36/EC of the EU, where teachers are recognised teachers in other EU countries, but don't have a qualification to teach Irish, they can opt to undertake either an aptitude test or an adaptation period to meet their shortfall in curricular Irish. Procedures for the aptitude test, An Scrúdú Cáilíochta Gaeilge, have been in place for a number of years. Procedures for the adaptation period are currently being developed by the Teaching Council.

The EU definition of an adaptation period is "the pursuit of a regulated profession in the host member State under the responsibility of a qualified member of that profession, such as a period of supervised practice, possibly being accompanied by further training. This period of supervised practice shall be the subject of an assessment". In the case for teachers who opt for the aptitude test, it would be expected that their teaching of Irish would be monitored by the principal teacher, who has overall responsibility for the quality and effectiveness of teaching in the school and the attainment levels and academic standards of students.

Where teachers do not have competence to teach Irish, schools are obliged to arrange for another teacher to teach Irish to their class. This has been and continues to be the practice in schools where such an eventuality occurs.

The Deputy will be aware that this Government has shown an unprecedented commitment to training teachers in our national language both through the education system and through measures aimed at generating a more positive attitude towards Irish in general.

In relation to teachers, my Department, through Teacher Education Section, has a wide number of initiatives in place to further develop teachers' competency in Irish.

At primary level the "Tús Maith" programme is a targeted initiative to support the teaching of Irish. There are currently thirty-one cuiditheoiri, facilitators) on the team. The purposes of the programme are to improve the teaching of Irish to improve teachers' competence and confidence in the Irish language. Tús Maith cuiditheoiri provide a range of support to teachers including in-class support, whole school support and after-school workshops and language based activities. The team is currently working with 527 Spriocscoileanna (Target Schools) providing intensive sustained support leading to high levels of impact.

At post primary level, a subject-specific support service for Gaeilge was established in 2007. The service forms part of the Second Level Support (SLSS) which provides programme and subject specific curricular support, and support for teaching and learning generally in second-level schools.

This support service for Irish has been designed to provide professional development support to second-level teachers of Irish generally and support for the teaching and learning of all aspects of the curriculum. One of the primary objectives of the service is to support the use of Gaeilge as a communicative language in schools and classrooms.

The programme of professional development has been designed to:

promote the importance of oral skills as an integral part of the Junior and Leaving Certificate syllabuses

enable teachers develop a range of teaching and learning strategies that will promote oral language proficiency, as recommended in Circular 0042/2007

build on the strengths of the Revised Curriculum for Primary Schools.

In addition to the above at both primary and post primary level each of our support services have measures in place to provide training through Irish.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 377: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will fund Irish-language in-service courses to re-train senior teachers on a regular basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13404/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that this Government has shown an unprecedented commitment to training teachers in our national language both through the education system and through measures aimed at generating a more positive attitude towards Irish in general.

In relation to teachers, my Department, through Teacher Education Section, has a wide number of initiatives in place to further develop teachers' competency in Irish.

At primary level the "Tús Maith" programme is a targeted initiative to support the teaching of Irish. There are currently thirty-one cuiditheoiri, facilitators) on the team. The purposes of the programme are to improve the teaching of Irish to improve teachers' competence and confidence in the Irish language. Tús Maith cuiditheoiri provide a range of support to teachers including in-class support, whole school support and after-school workshops and language based activities. The team is currently working with 527 Spriocscoileanna, (Target Schools), providing intensive sustained support leading to high levels of impact.

At post primary level, a subject-specific support service for Gaeilge was established in 2007. The service forms part of the Second Level Support (SLSS) which provides programme and subject specific curricular support, and support for teaching and learning generally in second-level schools.

This support service for Irish has been designed to provide professional development support to second-level teachers of Irish generally and support for the teaching and learning of all aspects of the curriculum. One of the primary objectives of the service is to support the use of Gaeilge as a communicative language in schools and classrooms.

The programme of professional development has been designed to:

promote the importance of oral skills as an integral part of the Junior and Leaving Certificate syllabuses

enable teachers develop a range of teaching and learning strategies that will promote oral language proficiency, as recommended in Circular 0042/2007

build on the strengths of the Revised Curriculum for Primary Schools.

In addition to the above at both primary and post primary level each of our support services have measures in place to provide training through Irish.