Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

268. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills cén dul chun cinn atá déanta chun féachaint ar an gcaoi is fearr le foráil a dhéanamh i bpolasaithe rollaithe scoileanna a fheidhmíonn trí Ghaeilge do leanaí arb í an Ghaeilge teanga cheannasach an teaghlaigh mar atá luaite sa Phlean Gníomhaíochta 2018-2023; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [23850/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Faoi mar is eol don Teachta, rinneadh an tAcht Oideachais (Ligean Isteach i Scoileanna), 2018 a achtú i mí Iúil 2018. Is é cuspóir foriomlán an Achta creat nua a sholáthar i gcomhair rollaithe i scoileanna, agus é ceaptha lena chinntiú go gcaitear go cothrom le gach leanbh agus go bhfuil an bealach a ndeánann scoileanna cinneadh ar iarratais ar ligean isteach struchtúrtha, cóir agus trédhearcach.

Tá foráil san Acht, nuair a chuirfear chun feidhme í, lena gceadófar do scoil ina ndéantar an teagasc trí Ghaeilge, tús áite maidir le ligean isteach a thabhairt do dhaltaí a bhfuil leibhéal líofachta i nGaeilge acu, áit a mbeadh an baol ann go dtiocfadh meath ar an líofacht sin mura ligfí an dalta isteach i scoil Lán-Ghaeilge.

Ceapadh an fhoráil sin chun go bhfeidhmeodh sí laistigh den chreat iontrála níos leithne atá á chur i bhfeidhm faoin Acht Oideachais (Ligean Isteach i Scoileanna), 2018. Ina leith sin, tá mé tar éis a léiriú go bhfuil sé ar intinn agam tús feidhme a chur le forálacha eile an Achta, ionas go mbeidh feidhm leo maidir le hiarratais ar ligean isteach don scoilbhliain 2021/22.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 was enacted in July 2018. The overall objective of the Act is to provide a new framework for school enrolment that is designed to ensure that every child is treated fairly and that the way in which schools decide on applications for admission is structured, fair and transparent.

The Act contains a provision which, when commenced, will allow a school that teaches through Irish to give priority in admission to students who have a level of fluency in the Irish language, where such fluency would be at risk of regressing if the student were not admitted to an Irish language school.

This provision is designed to operate within the broader admissions framework being put in place under the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018.  In that regard, I have outlined that it is my intention to commence the remaining provisions of the Act so that they will apply to applications for admission in respect of the 2021/22 school year.