Written Answers. - Teaching Qualifications.
Emmet Stagg
Question:
154
Mr. Stagg
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
his plans to ease the Irish language requirement for teachers born outside the State, especially in view of the recent case in Donegal in which a person (details supplied) lost her job despite having taught for six years in a local primary school, when she failed the Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[26514/03]
Teachers in national schools are generalists rather than subject specialists and must be qualified to teach the range of primary school subjects to children aged four to 12 years. Accordingly, applicants must satisfy the Department of Education and Science that they are competent to teach the Irish language and to teach the range of primary school curricular subjects through the medium of Irish before being granted full recognition to teach in mainstream classes in national schools.
Teachers qualified outside the State may be given recognition to teach in primary schools. Once their qualifications have been assessed and accepted by the Department they may be granted provisional recognition to commence teaching in mainstream primary schools or restricted recognition to teach only in special schools or classes where Irish is not a curricular requirement. Holders of provisional recognition are given five years in which they must pass the written, aural and oral parts of an examination in the Irish language An Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge, SCG.
Until such time as a teacher passes the SCG, she or he is not considered fully qualified as a teacher in a mainstream national school. Candidates are expected to have knowledge of the teaching methods of Irish as a mother tongue and as a second language to primary school children, and of strategies to promote the use of Irish as a language of communication and as a teaching medium. The standard required to obtain a pass in the SCG is the standard of Irish that would enable teachers to teach the language to sixth class in a national school. Candidates must therefore demonstrate that they have attained the level of language competence described in the syllabus and reflected in the examination papers, and that they understand the methodology of teaching Irish as a second language. It must be remembered that a primary teacher may have to teach pupils whose mother tongue is Irish, or who are competent users of the language. Even when teaching Irish to pupils whose mother tongue is English or another language, it is widely accepted by language teachers that, in order to be effective, the teacher needs to have a very good command of the language.
The Deputy will be aware that I established a working group to review all aspects of the syllabus and examination for the Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge in 2001. Institúid Teangeolaíochta Éireann, the Colleges of Education, primary school management organisations, INTO, National Parents Council – Primary – and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment all were represented on this working group. Organisations were invited to submit proposals as part of the review of the SCG and all such proposals were given full consideration by the working group in preparing its report. The review group has given full consideration to the standard of Irish required in the examinations.
The report of the working group has now been finalised and is on the point of being presented to my Department. To date the review group has drafted an interim syllabus. The redrafted syllabus was circulated to all schools in December 2002 and the SCG examinations held on 29, 30 and 31 October 2003 were the first series of SCG examinations to be based on this syllabus.
The review group has also drafted a handbook for the examination. The handbook will contain detailed information on the SCG and will provide answers to a wide range of questions raised by candidates. The review committee is also recommending changes to the content and format of the examination modules to take effect possibly from Autumn of 2004. It is also planned to produce a textbook of relevant prose and poetry for future examinations.
It should be noted that the Minister and the Department have the right, as established by the European court in the Groener case, to insist on teacher competence in Irish.
The person referred to was granted provisional recognition with effect from 1 September 1997 and her recognition was therefore due to expire on 31 August 2002 – after a five year period. To afford the person in question every opportunity to attain a pass in her last outstanding module of the SCG, this person's period of provisional recognition was extended by a further year and expired on 31 August 2003. In the period of this extension this person twice failed by a substantial margin to achieve a pass mark in the outstanding aural examination.
The person referred to may continue to sit the SCG examinations to obtain full recognition. In addition, Irish is not essential to the teaching of certain special classes in mainstream schools and certain categories of special schools. This person's qualifications continue to be regarded as adequate for such posts and she will continue to be entitled to restricted recognition to teach on a permanent basis in such schools and classes even though her provisional recognition to teach mainstream primary classes in mainstream primary schools has expired.
Restricted recognition gives this person the same salary entitlements as a fully qualified teacher, although her teaching would be restricted to the schools and classes referred to. This person would also be entitled to undertake substitute work in any primary school at the trained rate.
