Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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151. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills an bhfuil aon soiléiriú ann faoi chinneadh an Aire sa Dáil deiridh cás eisceachtúil agus píolótach a dhéanamh maidir le Gaelscoileanna Uíbh Ráthaigh agus lena líon daltaí mar chosaint don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht ar feadh achar ama áirithe. [7660/21]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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152. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills cad iad na céimeanna a ghlacfaidh sí chun Gaelscolaíocht a chosaint ó dhúnadh scoileanna i gceantair iargúlta toisc líon na ndaltaí a bheith ag laghdú; agus an dtuigeann sí an cás ar leith a bhíonn sa Ghaeltacht má dhruidtear scoil Ghaeilge agus go mbeadh daltaí Gaeilge brúite isteach i scoileanna Béarla má tharlaíonn sin. [7661/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 151 agus 152 le chéile.

PQ 7660/21

Chun a fhiafraí den Aire Oideachais an bhfuil aon soiléiriú ann faoi chinneadh an Aire Mac Aodha sa Dáil deiridh cás eisceachtúil agus píolótach a dhéanamh maidir le Gaelscoileanna Uíbh Ráthaigh agus lena líon daltaí mar chosaint don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht ar feadh achar ama áirithe.

To ask the Minister for Education if there is any clarification on the decision of Minister McHugh in the last Dáil to make an exceptional and pilot case of the Gaelscoileanna in Iveragh (Uíbh Ráthach) and their pupil numbers to protect the Irish language and the Gaeltacht for a particular period of time.

PQ-7661/21

Chun a fhiafraí den Aire Oideachais cad iad na céimeanna a ghlacfaidh sí chun Gaelscolaíocht a chosaint ó dhúnadh scoileanna i gceantair iargúlta toisc líon na ndaltaí a bheith ag laghdú, agus an dtuigeann sí an cás ar leith a bhíonn sa Ghaeltacht má dhruidtear scoil Ghaeilge agus go mbeadh daltaí Gaeilge brúite isteach i scoileanna Béarla má tharlaíonn sin.

To ask the Minister for Education what steps she will take to protect Irish-medium education from the closure of schools in isolated areas due to decreasing student numbers, and does she understand the particular case which applies to the Gaeltacht where if an Irish-medium school is closed Irish-medium students might be forced to go to English medium schools.

FREAGRA (PQ 7660/21 agus PQ 7661/21)

Is í príomhaidhm an Pholasaí don Oideachas Gaeltachta 2017-2022, de chuid na Roinne Oideachais, ná tacú le húsáid na Gaeilge i bpobail Ghaeltachta agus í a chothú trí sholáthar oideachais trí mheán na Gaeilge a neartú i limistéir phleanála teanga Ghaeltachta. Ó cuireadh tús le feidhmiú an Pholasaí in 2017, tá maoiniú thart ar €14m curtha ar fáil do roinnt ghníomhartha chun tacú le soláthar oideachais ardcháilíochta trí mheán na Gaeilge i scoileanna Gaeltachta. I measc na ngníomhartha sin, áirítear seoladh na Scéime Aitheantais Scoileanna Gaeltachta a chuireann acmhainní spriocdhírithe breise ar fáil do scoileanna atá lonnaithe i limistéir phleanála teanga Ghaeltachta chun tacú leo leis an soláthar oideachais trí mheán na Gaeilge a fheabhsú.

Faoi láthair tá 105 bunscoil agus 29 iar-bhunscoil Ghaeltachta sa Scéim ag fáil uaireanta breise do thacaíocht na Gaeilge, forbairt ghairmiúil leanúnach breise atá á cur ar fáil ag an gComhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG), deontas bliantúil de €1200 d’ábhair teagaisc trí mheán na Gaeilge a cheannach agus cuairteanna comhairleacha breise cigireachta. Ag leibhéal na hiar-bhunscoile, tugadh an deis do scoileanna páirt a ghlacadh sa tionscadal píolótach ríomh-mhoil, a bhaineann leas as soláthar foghlama cumaisc ar líne chun cur leis an raon ábhar atá ar fáil trí mheán na Gaeilge do scoláirí in iar-bhunscoileanna Gaeltachta. Chomh maith leis sin, tugadh deis d'iar-bhunscoileanna roghnaithe, páirt a ghlacadh sa chlár Forás, a thugann tacaíocht teanga bhreise do scoláirí na Sraithe Sóisearaí.

Tá pacáiste acmhainní ar leith, sa bhreis ar na tacaíochtaí atá ar fáil faoin Scéim Aitheantais Scoileanna Gaeltachta, á cur ar fáil do na hiar-bhunscoileanna atá lonnaithe ar na hoileán chomh maith de bharr na ndúshlán ar leith a bhíonn acu agus an tábhacht a bhaineann leis na scoileanna seo do bheogacht agus do chaomhnú phobail na n-oileán. Áirítear leithdháileadh breise múinteora agus buiséad imfhálaithe €15,000 breise in aghaidh na bliana do gach iar-bhunscoil ar na hoileáin chun costais oibríochtúla breise a chlúdach mar chuid den phacáiste tacaíochta seo.

Chomh maith leis sin, le blianta beaga anuas, cuireadh roinnt ghníomhartha i bhfeidhm chun na tairseacha ceapacháin agus coinneála i scoileanna beaga a fheabhsú, lena n-áirítear tairseacha rollaithe níos buntáistí do bhunscoileanna le múinteoir amháin agus scoileanna ar na hoileáin. I measc na ngníomharhta, áirítear laghdú 1 phointe den chóimheas idir daltaí agus múinteoirí i mbunscoileanna beaga le ceathrar múinteoirí nó níos lú ón scoilbhliain 2020/21. Cuireann Buiséad 2021 leis an dul chun cinn seo trí laghdú 1 phointe breise a chur i bhfeidhm maidir le múinteoir a cheapadh sa scoilbhliain 2021/22 agus laghdú trí phointe ar an sceideal coinneála. Cuideoidh na bearta seo lena chinntiú go mbeidh níos lú daltaí ag teastáil chun múinteoir a earcú nó a choinneáil. Foilseofar an sceideal foirne don scoilbhliain 2021/22 sna seachtainí amach romhainn. Is ag an bpointe seo a bheidh eolas ag bunscoileanna faoin soláthar foirne a bheidh acu don Mheán Fómhair seo chugainn agus cuirfear tús leis an bpróiseas ath-imlonnaithe chun folúntais teagaisc a líonadh.

ANSWER (PQ 7660/21 and PQ 7661/21)

The main aim of the Department of Education’s Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022 is to support and promote the use of the Irish language in Gaeltacht communities by strengthening Irish-medium educational provision in Gaeltacht language-planning areas. Since implementation of the Policy commenced in 2017, funding in the region of €14m has been made available for a range of measures to support the provision of high quality Irish-medium education in Gaeltacht schools. These measures include the launch of the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme, which provides targeted additional supports to schools located in Gaeltacht language-planning areas to support and enhance their provision of Irish-medium education. Currently 105 primary and 29 post-primary Gaeltacht schools in the Scheme are receiving additional language support hours for Irish, additional CPD provided by COGG, an annual grant of €1200 for the purchase of Irish-medium teaching resources and additional inspectorate advisory visits. At post-primary level, schools were given the opportunity to take part in the e-hub pilot project, which utilises online blended-learning provision to extend the range of subjects available through the medium of Irish to students in post-primary Gaeltacht schools. In addition, selected schools have been provided with an opportunity to take part in the Forás programme, which provides additional language support to students in Junior Cycle.

A specific package of supports, additional to the supports being provided under the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme, is being made available to post-primary schools located on islands due to the particular challenges which they face and their importance in preserving the vitality of island communities. This package includes additional teacher allocation and a ring-fenced budget of an additional €15000 per annum to cover additional operational costs for each island school.

In recent years, a number of measures have been implemented to improve the appointment and retention thresholds for small primary schools, including more favourable enrolment thresholds for one teacher schools and island schools. These include a one-point reduction to the pupil-teacher ratio for small schools (four teachers and less) from the 2020/21 school year. Budget 2021 builds on this progress by implementing a further 1 point reduction for the appointment of a teacher in the 2021/22 school year and a three point reduction in the retention schedule. These measures will help to ensure that less pupils are required to recruit or retain a teacher. The staffing schedule for the 2021/22 school year will be published in the coming weeks. It is at this stage that primary schools will be able to establish their staffing for the coming September and the redeployment process to fill teaching vacancies will begin.