Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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164. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools in Gaeltacht areas that are now required to teach English as a first language; the number of teaching hours devoted to this; the impact this is having on the normal functioning of these schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39788/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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With regard to the Department of Education's language policy for Gaeltacht schools, the Department promotes and supports the use of Irish as a first language in these schools through its Policy on Gaeltacht Education.

The main aim of this Policy is to further strengthen Irish-medium educational provision in Gaeltacht language-planning areas.

The Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme is the cornerstone of the policy. It gives schools in the language planning areas the opportunity to seek official recognition as Gaeltacht Schools. Schools must meet specific language-based criteria in order to achieve recognition.

102 primary schools and 29 post-primary schools are participating in the Scheme in the 2024/25 school year. Over 120 of these schools have achieved recognition to date. My Department is organising a number of events this month to celebrate their achievements.

There are 29 primary schools within the Gaeltacht language-planning areas that are currently not participating in the Scheme. The NCCA provides suggested time allocations to assist these teachers and schools in their work with the curriculum, including suggested time allocations for language 1 and language 2.