asked the Minister for Education whether any steps have been taken to remedy the defective pronunciation of Irish by the students in secondary schools to which attention was called in the latest annual report published by the Department of Education.
Written Answers. - Pronunciation of Irish.
The section of the Department's Annual Report in which reference is made to the pronunciation of Irish by the students in the secondary schools contains suggestions for remedying the defects to which attention is drawn, the most important of these suggestions being that teachers should spend some time ("treimhse reasunta fada") in the Gaeltacht. The practice that is growing in some schools to send some of their students to the Gaeltacht every year is also commended. In addition, special attention was given to phonetics in the summer course in Irish for teachers of secondary schools conducted by the Department last summer.
I might point out to the Deputy that the wording of his question conveys a misleading impression regarding the standard of pronunciation of Irish by the students in secondary schools and the reference thereto in the Department's report. That report recorded an improvement in pronunciation, and mentions certain defects requiring special attention; but to refer to "the defective pronunciation of Irish by the students in secondary schools" is to convey a misleading impression regarding both the position in the schools and the reference thereto in the Department's report.