asked the Minister for Education if he will state on what date Druim na Rath School, Tír Chonaill (16849), was removed from the list of schools scheduled as being in the Fíor-Ghaeltacht; whether, before such removal, an investigation into the condition of the Irish language in the school district and in the school was carried out; by whom and on what dates these investigations were carried out; what were the results of the investigation; on what grounds was the school removed from the list; what was the effect of this removal; also, whether, since the time of the removal of this school from the list, any investigations into the position of the language in the district have been carried out; and if so, if he will state when, by whom, and with what results.
Written Answers. - Schools Removed from Fíor-Ghaeltacht List.
asked the Minister for Education if he will state on what date Gaoth Sáile School, Muigheo (12958), was removed from the list of schools scheduled as being in the Fíor-Ghaeltacht; whether, before such removal, an investigation into the condition of the Irish language in the school district and in the school was carried out; by whom and on what dates these investigations were carried out; what were the results of the investigation; on what grounds was the school removed from the list; what was the effect of this removal; also whether, since the time of the removal of this school from the list, any investigations into the position of the language in the district have been carried out; and if so, if he will state when, by whom, and with what results.
asked the Minister for Education if he will state on what date Poll a' tSoghmais School, Muigheo (16283), was removed from the list of schools scheduled as being in the Fíor-Ghaeltacht; whether, before such removal, an investigation into the condition of the Irish language in the school district and in the school was carried out; by whom and on what dates these investigations were carried out; what were the results of the investigations; on what grounds was the school removed from the list; what was the effect of this removal; also, whether, since the time of the removal of this school from the list, any investigations into the position of the language in the district have been carried out; and if so, if he will state when, by whom, and with what results.
I propose to take the questions regarding Druim na Rath, Gaoth Sáile and Poll a' tSoghmais national schools together. These schools were removed from the list of Fíor-Ghaeltacht schools as from the following dates: Druim na Rath, 1st July, 1940; Gaoth Sáile, 1st July, 1936; Poll a' tSoghmais, 1st July, 1936.
Annual investigations in connection with the award of the bonus for parents of Irish-speaking children in the school districts and schools in question were carried out in each case, on various dates, by the local district inspector who also furnished special reports on the position of the language in each district on the following dates: Druim na Rath, 20th June 1935; 13th January, 1936; 8th March, 1937; 20th February, 1939; 26th August, 1940. Gaoth Sáile, 22nd June, 1935; 10th February, 1936. Poll a' tSoghmais, 22nd June, 1935; 10th February, 1936.
The investigations showed that the bonus for parents was awarded in respect of less than 50 per cent. of eligible children attending each school in the school-year prior to the date as from which the school was removed from the list and that the percentage figure had generally shown a continuous decrease for some years previously. The inspectors reported, moreover, that, in each case, one or both of the fundamental conditions specified in Rule 121 (1) of the Department's Rules and Regulations, under which schools are scheduled as Fíor-Ghaeltacht schools, had ceased to be fulfilled. On these grounds, the Department decided to remove the schools in question from the list of Fíor-Ghaeltacht schools.
On the removal of these schools from the list of Fíor-Ghaeltacht schools, the teachers therein ceased to be eligible for the special grant by way of a percentage increase in salary allowed under Rule 121 and the children attending them were no longer eligible for the special concessions given to children from Fíor-Ghaeltacht schools in connection with admission to the teaching profession and for scholarships awarded by the Department to such children.
Since the date of the removal of the schools named from the list, the local inspector carried out investigations, on various dates each year, in each school district, in connection with the applications for the bonus to parents of children whose home language is Irish. In each case, the result of the inquiries has been that the bonus continues to be awarded each year in respect of less than 50 per cent. of the eligible children attending these schools.