Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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122. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a project (details supplied); the timeframe for the review of the pilot project; her plans for the continuity of Irish medium education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13538/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The provision of Irish-medium education is a priority for my Department and this Government, and we share a strong commitment to increasing the number of Irish-medium places available and providing suitable accommodation in this regard.

As the Deputy may be aware, in early 2021 I approved a proposal for a new satellite model of Irish-medium post-primary provision to be piloted in Dundalk. The model involves a satellite/Dundalk-based campus of An Foras Pátrúnachta’s Balbriggan Gaelcholáiste – Coláiste Ghlór na Mara.

This pilot offers parents in Dundalk a new choice for Irish-medium provision, in addition to existing provision provided by schools in the area. The learning from the pilot may assist in the potential development of an enduring policy/approach for the application of this model elsewhere, subject to successful review.

The patron of Coláiste Ghlór na Mara deferred the opening of the Dundalk campus from September 2021 to September 2022. Putting in place the necessary accommodation arrangements for September 2022 has been devolved to the school patron.

Planning for the development of a new policy for Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht is now underway in my Department. This policy will be part of the overall framework of the 20-year Strategy for the Irish language 2010-2030 and will build on the achievements of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022. The Policy will be an important step towards achieving the Programme for Government commitments on Irish-language education.

An intradepartmental working group has been established in my Department to progress this work. This working group will focus on developing a consultation process to encourage widespread stakeholder engagement to inform the policy. A review of national and international literature will also be carried out. A Steering Group is being established also to provide oversight, guidance and support for the policy development process. Two composite reports on inspection findings on the quality of educational provision in Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, covering the period 2017 to 2020, were published in spring 2021. These reports provide a helpful insight into relevant themes related to practice in schools, which will inform the policy development process.

The Department is also continuing to support the existing Aonad at Coláiste Chú Chulainn to ensure continuity of provision for the students enrolled.