Vol. 1035 No. 6
53. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education when a decision was taken to reduce school hall sizes in new school buildings, the reason this decision was taken and if she is satisfied that current provision for multi-use rooms is satisfactory for the whole school community. [14324/23]
Will the Minister indicate when a decision was taken to reduce school hall sizes in new school buildings, the reason this decision was taken and if she is satisfied that current provision for multi-purpose rooms is satisfactory for the whole school community?
As the Deputy will be aware, investment and expenditure on physical education, PE, halls is an element of the overall expenditure and investment in the school building programme. The provision of general purpose, GP, rooms and PE halls at primary and post-primary level, respectively, as well as outdoor hard play areas forms part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings or where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered for an existing school. My Department provides different sized PE halls and GP rooms depending on the size of the post-primary or primary school. I stress that there has been no reduction in the size of GP rooms or PE halls provided for primary and post-primary schools, respectively, in new school buildings. At primary level, a 195 sq. m GP room is provided as standard as part of new eight to 16 classroom school buildings, with larger primary schools with 24 or more mainstream classes being provided with twice this size. At post-primary level, smaller, new post-primary school buildings are provided with a 406 sq. m PE hall, with schools designed for 450 or more students provided with a larger 594 sq. m hall.
Again, there has been no reduction in the size of school halls in new school buildings and this policy has been in place for a significant number of years. GP rooms and PE halls form part of a suite of ancillary facilities provided as part of new school buildings. At primary level, new school buildings additionally include a library, a multi-purpose room, special education tuition rooms and offices. The accommodation provided for new primary schools to support children with special educational needs also includes a central activities space, a multi-activity room, a daily living skills facility and quiet spaces.
At post-primary level, new school buildings include a GP room as well as a PE hall, social areas, pastoral offices, special education tuition rooms and a fitness suite. As at primary level, accommodation provided in new post-primary school buildings for students with special educational needs also includes significant ancillary facilities.
In addition, my Department’s design guidelines for all new schools provide for outdoor multi-use games areas. The level of play space provided varies with the size of school. For example, a new 24-classroom primary school with special education needs classes is provided with three ball courts and two junior play areas as well as a secure hard and soft play area and a sensory garden. In respect of new post-primary schools, a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school will be provided with six ball courts and a secure hard and soft special education play area.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House.
The accommodation and facilities provided as part of new school building projects have been designed to meet the curricular and operational needs of schools, including the delivery of the PE curriculum. At primary level, the general purpose room can be utilised to support the provision of PE but it is important to note that the PE curriculum permits schools flexibility in its implementation and supports a broad and balanced approach taking account of the varying indoor and outdoor facilities available.
The main focus of resources over the past decade has been - and will be over the coming period - on the provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics, particularly at post-primary level and for special education needs provision. The Deputy will appreciate that the immediate priority of my Department is continued strong delivery to support the operation of the school system with particular regard to planning ahead for the 2023-24 school year and supporting special needs provision.
I heard what the Minister said. I am on the board of management of Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers in Fearann Phiarais on the north side of Cork city. A new school is being built. We have been waiting for a school for 27 or 28 years. This Gaelscoil in the heart of the north side of Cork is getting a 195 sq. m room. It is not a PE hall; it is too small. A hall of this size will not be big enough to hold assemblies or permit proper PE or indoor sport. This comes at a time when we are trying to encourage more children to take part in PE. One consequence of Covid I have seen is the number of children who stayed in their rooms on PlayStation, Xboxes and phones. We now want to encourage more children to get involved in sport when they need it more than ever. The board of management and the parents' council at Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers had to give a commitment to the Department to raise €100,000 to get the school hall they needed. We are talking about €100,000 from a DEIS school, which is shocking.
I know the Deputy’s personal investment in the school. The fact that there is a new school development is very positive and I know the Deputy has personally engaged in that. The question concerns size. I can only confirm to the Deputy that this is the standard size that is being provided at primary level. A 195 sq. m GP room is provided as part of a new eight to 16 classroom building. Obviously, a larger school will get a larger GP facility. This is part of a further suite of measures that has been provided. In addition to the GP rooms and PE halls, for example, a library, a multi-purpose room, special education tuition rooms and offices are provided at primary level. Accommodation provided for new primary schools to support children with special educational needs also includes a central activity space, a multi-activity room, a daily living skills facility, quiet spaces and outdoor facilities.
While we need outdoor facilities, children could not be outdoors for the past three months with the rain and the cold. Outdoor facilities are not a real option in the winter months in Ireland. School assemblies cannot be held in these school halls because they are too small and they cannot accommodate school plays at the end the year or host indoor tournaments. I have been involved in coaching hurling, football and Gaelic football all my life. The Minister is saying that a school hall for eight classrooms and 16 classrooms is the same. She could at least use the proper rationale. She said a 24-classroom school has nearly 600 sq. m, whereas a 16-classroom building, which is two thirds of that, will have 195 sq. m. There should be at least an extra 100 sq. m for every eight classes. I ask the Minister to extend the size of school halls so that they are fit for purpose. If a school takes on an extra classroom over the year, will the Minister commit to building it a proper sized hall?
These are the building guidelines that are the same across the country in terms of a 195 sq. m GP room. The GP room can be used to support PE but it is important to note that the PE curriculum permits schools flexibility in its implementation and supports a broad and balanced approach, taking account of the varying indoor and outdoor facilities available. I hear what the Deputy is saying. I acknowledge that this is standard practice for all new school buildings. It is the recommended size from the planning and building unit. There is flexibility regarding issues around PE and so on, in that it is a combination of activities. The curriculum permits that element of flexibility. Even though the Deputy implied it in his question, there is no question of a reduction in size. I have set out the size and it is the same across the country.
54. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if she will intervene in the flawed process for school reconfiguration in the Raheny area and if she will restart the process with a wider consultation. [14295/23]
I am asking about the review of the configuration of schools in Raheny, a process that has left many people very dissatisfied. Will the Minister consider intervening in that process so that a more comprehensive view of the schooling needs in Raheny can be ascertained?
The Government’s objective is to have at least 400 multi-denominational schools in the primary system by 2030 to improve parental choice. I fully support this commitment and I am working with my Department and stakeholders in this respect. In recent years, there has been progress towards increasing the numbers of multi-denominational primary schools, with the vast majority of new primary schools established in the past decade having a multi-denominational ethos.
In March 2022, I announced that arrangements were being put in place in a number of towns and areas of cities that had no multi-denominational primary schools.
This process sought to identify potential schools and to engage with school authorities, school staff and the school communities with a view to agreeing on a transfer of patronage and change of ethos, where there was sufficient demand for this. The ongoing pilot includes 63 schools in the cities of Cork, Dublin, Galway and Limerick and the Arklow, Athlone, Dundalk and Youghal areas.
The schools reconfiguration for diversity process, supporting transfers of schools to multidenominational patrons in response to the wishes of local communities, has been developed in order to accelerate the delivery of multidenominational schools across the country. Where a school transfers from the patronage of one patron to another, the school remains open with the same roll number and operating from the same school property. All State-funded primary schools follow a common national curriculum and are subject to the same rules and regulations.
The Council for Education of the Irish Episcopal Conference and relevant bishops have confirmed their willingness to engage and co-operate fully with my Department in seeking to facilitate a more diverse school patronage in the towns and cities in the pilot. The Department has made available a number of independent facilitators, who are former senior inspectors, across the pilot areas, including Raheny, to work with the school patron and relevant school authorities at a local level. This work involves engagement with school authorities, school staff and parents with a view to agreeing on a transfer of patronage and change of ethos, where there is sufficient demand for this. This process is about providing information and engaging with, and seeking feedback from, the school community.
I have always been clear about the intention to examine anything learned from the pilot in order to inform future work. Over the next short while, my Department will pull together information on what worked well across the pilot and what could be done better. We will then work with all the relevant stakeholders to apply what has been learned to future phases of work.
In respect of engagement with the three schools in Raheny, the facilitator has completed their information meetings with the relevant boards of management, principals, staff and parents of pupils in each school. Before and after each engagement with a stakeholder, the facilitator and patron’s representative engaged to consider the views expressed and queries raised. The facilitator has submitted their preliminary report-----
We are over time.
I am interested in hearing the rest of contribution by the Minister. She will probably conclude it in her next contribution. This is a very unsatisfactory process. It was done at the height of the Christmas period. Nobody on either side of the discussion had any faith in how the process was organised. The Minister told me at a recent meeting of the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science that potential parents would be involved in these processes. How can it be fair that somebody who has a child in sixth class in one of the schools, and who will be gone in a few months, has more of a say than a parent who might have two or three children who are not yet in school but who live in the catchment area? It is patently not fair. It has led to incredible division and an uncomfortable feeling around the whole discussion. No one on either side of the debate feels their views were heard. There is a huge amount of confusion around it.
Will the Minister start a new process? The one that was entered into by the independent facilitator has not satisfied anybody, regardless of which side of the discussion they may be.
In respect of the engagement with the three schools in Raheny, the facilitator has completed their information meetings with the relevant boards of management, principals, staff and parents of pupils in each school. Before and after each engagement with a stakeholder, the facilitator and patron’s representative engaged to consider the views expressed and queries raised. The facilitator has submitted their preliminary report based on their engagement with the relevant stakeholders to the school patron. The preliminary report was circulated to the respective Raheny school communities for information and they were invited to provide feedback and share their views with the facilitator via the dedicated reconfiguration email address. The facilitator is now in the process of finalising their report, following consideration of feedback submitted by the school community.
After the school patron receives the facilitator’s final report, the patron can reflect on the level of demand as indicated in the report. The patron should then communicate with the schools on whether there is sufficient demand for transfer of patronage and change of ethos or whether the school community wishes to remain under Catholic church patronage.
There are 63 pilots. This is one. I fully accept that some of the pilots have worked much better than others. The process of reviewing the pilots as they have worked will be part of the undertaking of the Department. We are committed to doing that.
This process is welcome but based on the Minister’s answer, the patron will decide what happens next. Where does the Department come in? Are we going to listen to the voices of parents whose children are not yet in school? The Minister promised me that we would. The parent of a child in sixth class who is leaving the school in a few months has much more say in the future configuration of the schools than somebody who lives locally whose children are aged three, two or one. Is the patron the one who decides? What is the Department’s role in this? Can the Minister intervene in this process to say she is not satisfied with how this has been rolled out? The facilitator told a meeting that he would take the temperature of the room when deciding what happens next. Can we have a more scientific approach to this. It is easy to take an eircode from a parent and the PPS number of their child to determine what their view might be. There is a much better way of doing this. If someone was designing something to set it up to fail, this is exactly what they would do. I have more faith in the Minister than I have in the process that was undertaken here. Her Department needs to intervene and carry out a much more widescale consultation with parents who live locally.
I want to be fair here. I know the Deputy is fully invested in this process and very supportive of increasing the number of multi-denominational schools we have. The pilot covers 63 different schools and there is no doubt that it has reaped benefits in some areas. The basis of the pilot is that everybody is consulted, and a facilitator is accommodating that, and everybody gets an opportunity to express their view. The report is then formulated at the end. I will be honest and say the process has worked better in some areas than in others. It has been protracted and challenging in some areas and less so in others. For this reason, there will be a full and comprehensive review of how the process has worked, what changes can be made and what can be retained where it worked well.
It is also important to acknowledge in this debate that of the 53 new primary schools inaugurated, 52 are multi-denominational and of the 50 new post-primary schools, 44 are multi-denominational. We are making progress. Where there have been issues with pilots, the full review will give us an opportunity to correct them in future. The pilots have been successful in some areas.
55. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the parts of the country where there are inadequate numbers of spaces in special classes and special schools; if she and the NCSE are aware of the number of children that will currently not have a place for next September in such locations; and the actions she and the NCSE intend to take on foot of this, including if she intends to use her powers under section 37A or any other parts of legislation. [14325/23]
Will the Minister of State provide an update on the parts of the country where there is an inadequate number of spaces in special classes and special schools? Is the Department or the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, aware of how many children do not have a place for next September in these locations? What actions do the Department and the NCSE intend to take on foot of this? Does the Minister of State plan to use her powers under section 37A or any other legislation?
The work is ongoing with the NCSE and the Department. There has been intense engagement with schools throughout the country to ensure that no child with an additional need will be left without an appropriate placement in September. A huge amount of work is being done on that. There has been an intense focus on forward planning in recent years, particularly around a detailed review of statistical data to ensure we can forecast demand for special classes throughout the country. We are looking at existing school accommodation and capacity to see if they are sufficient, rather than having to add on to existing accommodation. We are looking at improved data-sharing arrangements, particularly around post-primary education as traditionally there has been a gap between the places available at primary level and post-primary level when children transition to post-primary and we find there are not sufficient places. There is a major focus on that issue.
The Department and the NCSE met post-primary management bodies last week to share a list of schools that could potentially open special classes in September 2023. The NCSE is now engaging with those schools. We have also written to all post-primary schools indicating that we will ask them to open special classes over the coming years. We will need to double the number of special classes available at post-primary level over the next three years. At present, we have 2,544 special classes, of which 1,802 are at primary level and about 742 are at post-primary level.
Therefore, we do need the same level at post primary as we have at primary. There is a lot of focus in relation to that. In the Deputy's constituency of Cavan-Monaghan, there are 86 special classes at present, 12 of which are new special classes that opened this year.
Many children with special educational needs are still without school places. Planning and forecasting needs to be done to ensure no child is left behind. The Minister of State mentioned my constituency. I was contacted by a parent who attempted to enrol her five-year-old child in her local school, where there are three autism classes, but she was told there is a waiting list and that no places are available. The child's siblings are already in the school, one of whom is availing of one of these classes. The principal told the parent that she should consider homeschooling. She has attempted to enrol her child in other schools in the neighbourhood that have autism classes, however, they are all full and have waiting lists. One school has a waiting list of ten, which means ten children are without a school place. Another parent tried to enrol her child in a secondary school a year in advance but was told there were no places a year ahead.
I have informed the National Council For Special Education, NCSE, about these cases and I hope they can be resolved. We are still five months from the new school year and we do not want to find ourselves in the same position as we were in last year when many children were without school places. I hope that situation can be avoided.
As I said, in Cavan-Monaghan there are 86 special classes, 12 of which are new special classes that opened this year, one special school and nine early intervention classes. This is not to say that new special classes will not be opened for September 2023. I am glad the Deputy has notified the NCSE directly in respect of the children she mentioned. These children need to be known to the NCSE in order for them to get a place.
At local level, in more general terms, the NCSE is continuing to engage with schools in regard to additional special classes. Every support will be given to schools to progress the opening of special classes in the shortest possible timeframe. It is expected that the NCSE will confirm where new special classes at primary and post primary will be sanctioned over the coming weeks, in keeping with timelines in previous years.
We need special classes in special schools to be open in each area. Part of my question was whether the Minister of State was aware of the locations in different parts of the country where there is an inadequate number of places. One piece of correspondence that was brought to the attention of the Joint Committee on Autism stated that Naas has a population of 22,000 and has only three autism classes in the whole town. One parent from Naas travels 100 km every day to bring her child to a special class in a school in County Wicklow. There is another case in County Kildare where a special is not accepting any new applicants for the second year running. I know of a student in that situation who has very complex and profound disabilities, is non-verbal and has a heart condition and needs access to a special school but does not have such access. Her mother also has a condition and is not in a position to homeschool or care for her child at home. This is an example of a child progressing from primary to secondary school. The Department and the NCSE should be aware of children in such situations and ensure they are prioritised and have a school place come September. That is extremely important.
I concur with the Deputy; it is extremely important. There is a particular focus on large urban areas where demand is highest. For example, we opened 94 new classes in Dublin; 65 in Cork; 23 in Limerick; and 24 in Meath. It is important to put into context that about 92% of the classes we have opened over the past three years have been for autistic children. The autistic prevalence rate we were using before was 1.55%. We now estimate that rate to be at least 3.11% and this is contributing to the increase in demand, apart from demographic increases and other matters like that. This is not to say that the NCSE should not support the demand. For this reason, we increased the funding for the NCSE by €13 million in last year's budget to allow for the hiring of an additional 160 staff, which will help in terms of extra special educational needs organisers, SENOs, and communication with schools and parents, in particular, so that they will know as soon as possible when their child will get an appropriate placement for the following year.
56. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update regarding the review of the eligibility criteria of the deferred leaving certificate examinations; when the criteria to be applied to this year's exams will be communicated to students, schools and parents; if a distinction will continue to be made between medical emergencies before and during the examinations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14339/23]
I want to ask the Minister for Education if she will provide an update regarding the review of the eligibility criteria of the deferred leaving certificate examinations; when the criteria to be applied to this year's exams will be communicated to students, schools, and parents; if a distinction will continue to be made between medical emergencies before and during the examinations; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
It is acknowledged that candidates can experience many forms of trauma and adversity, such as serious illness and bereavement, and that this may happen around the time of the leaving certificate examinations and that they may be sitting examinations at a time that is not optimal for them. The State Examinations Commission, SEC, has responsibility for the operation, delivery and development of the State examinations. For the 2022 leaving certificate examinations, the State Examinations Commission provided an extended scheme of deferred examinations within the policy context of the reasonable accommodations at the certificate examinations, RACE, scheme.
Until 2019, candidates who missed their leaving certificate examinations due to bereavement, or for any other reason, had no option but to sit their examinations the following year. However, that was then changed. In advance of the 2022 leaving certificate, the SEC undertook a comprehensive review of the broader issue of how best to support candidates experiencing trauma and adversity at examinations time. The review process included consultation and engagement with stakeholders and advocacy groups, as well as research into practice in other jurisdictions. For the State examinations in 2022, the completion of the review resulted in the extended eligibility for the deferred examinations to candidates unable to sit their examinations in the main sitting due to serious accident, injury or illness. Candidates who were absent from examinations on public health grounds due to Covid-19 also had access to the deferred examinations.
In 2022, more than 61,000 candidates sat the leaving certificate. Of these, a total of 397 candidates who were eligible for access to the deferred examinations sat these examinations in some 30 regional centres throughout the country, across a number of subjects. Of the 397 eligible applications, 43 were due to bereavement, 84 due to serious medical condition and 270 on foot of public health advice due to Covid-19. These deferred examinations were of equivalent standard to the June examinations and ran up until 16 July. The results of these deferred examinations issued at the same time as the main examination results. There was no difference for the candidate, or for the end user of the results, between results attained in June and those attained in July. The provisional statement of results or the final certificate did not indicate which examination a candidate sat.
In light of the experience of the 2022 leaving certificate, the SEC is evaluating the provision of deferred leaving certificate examinations under the RACE scheme.
As the Minister is aware, Epilepsy Ireland has long campaigned to ensure that if a student experiences a medical emergency, such as a seizure, during the leaving certificate exam and is unable to complete the exam, he or she should be given the opportunity to resit the exam within the deferred exam cycle. The fact that this is not already the case is beyond belief.
I raised this matter with the Minister about 18 months ago. I implore her to ensure that those who experience seizures, or other medical emergencies, during the leaving certificate are allowed to resit the exam in the same summer. At this time there is a cruel distinction between those who experience an emergency before and during the exam, with the former given reasonable accommodation and the latter excluded.
As the Minister is aware, seizures are unpredictable. Stress and anxiety can lower a person's seizure threshold. The leaving certificate can be one of the most stressful periods in a student's life. Students with epilepsy have a heightened anxiety knowing that if they have a seizure during the exam and are unable to complete it, the only option for them is to repeat the exam a year later. This situation should not be allowed to continue.
The current provision that was made available in 2022 is now under review by the State Examinations Commission, which has jurisdiction over this. The SEC has informed me that the review is continuing and that it contains consultation and engagement with several stakeholders. I have also been assured that it is a high priority for the SEC and it is working to complete the process, which is at an advanced stage, as soon as possible.
I have met with Epilepsy Ireland and I can confirm that the SEC also met with Epilepsy Ireland. I am conscious of the points raised by the Deputy and I know this issue is of particular interest to him. I am also conscious of the points raised by Epilepsy Ireland and I am sure the SEC is also equally as conscious of the points raised.
The opportunity to have a second sitting of the leaving certificate exam is one I believe firmly in. We achieved that in the past couple of years and we want to give every opportunity to students to maximise their ability.
I do not doubt the Minister's passion for the issue. An exception was previously made for a student who experienced appendicitis during an exam. Let us not treat differently those who experience a seizure, as some unfortunately do. Let us take it that all of us across the Chamber, including the Minister and I, agree that if a student who experiences epilepsy has a seizure during an exam, it is only fair and right that he or she gets to repeat the exam during that exam cycle. The system we have at the minute places an increased level of anxiety on students who may already have experienced epilepsy during their lifetime. Let us just address this. I believe we both accept there is a gap and we need to step in and fill it. I appreciate the SEC has jurisdiction here but there is also a role for politicians to push that body and tell it that we need the review completed within this exam year because it is just really unfair. It seems a bit silly and we can get in front of it quickly.
To reiterate, the whole purpose of a having a second sitting of the exam is to ensure that students get the maximum opportunity to achieve to the maximum of their ability. I have always been very clear that one of the key functions of the second sitting is to facilitate students impacted by issues such as bereavement or illness. As I have said, I have met with Epilepsy Ireland and am very conscious of the case it has made. I completely accept the Deputy's bona fides in respect of this issue. As he has said, I am sure there is agreement across the Chamber on this. The SEC has ultimate responsibility. I believe it is very conscious of this issue. It oversees the exams but it is also its aspiration that every young person will get the opportunity to achieve to the maximum of his or her ability. It is a very positive step that the commission has met with Epilepsy Ireland and I understand it gave it a very good hearing. As I have said, the review is ongoing but will be completed imminently.
57. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Michael McNamara den Aire Oideachais cén dul chun cinn atá déanta chun Gaelcholáiste an Chláir neamspleách a fhorbairt in Inis; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [14588/23]
Cén dul chun cinn atá déanta ag an Aire agus ag a Roinn chun Gaelcholáiste an Chláir neamhspleách a fhorbairt in Inis?
Tabharfaidh mé an freagra seo idir Gaeilge agus Béarla. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist thábhachtach seo maidir le Gaelcholáiste an Chláir in Inis. Tá comhfhreagras faighte ag mo Roinn ó phátrún Choláiste Phobail na hInse, Bord Oideachais agus Oiliúna Luimnigh agus an Chláir, ag lorg faomhadh don aonad Gaeilge sa choláiste phobail, ar a dtugtar Gaelcholáiste an Chláir, a aistriú ina Ghaelcholáiste neamhspleách.
Mar chuid den Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge 2010-2030, tá tiomantas déanta ag mo Roinn deiseanna a chruthú chun oideachas trí mheán na Gaeilge a leathnú lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht. This is in the context of the announcement of the establishment of 47 new schools from 2019, which affords particular consideration to the establishment of Gaelscoileanna, Gaelcholáistí and aonaid lán-Ghaeilge as part of the patronage process for new schools. Most new post-primary schools must have a student enrolment capacity of 600 to 1,000 students. A lower threshold of 400 students may apply to Gaelcholáistí, having regard to the alternative of establishing an Irish-medium unit or aonad in an English-medium school. This is a potential outcome from the patronage process for new schools established to cater for demographic need. It is also possible for any post-primary school patron to contact the Department to explore the establishment of an aonad in an existing school.
As the Deputy may be aware, work on the development of a new policy for Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht is now well under way in the Department. The policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht is part of the overall framework of the 20-year strategy for the Irish language and builds on the achievement of the policy on Gaeltacht education for 2017 to 2022. Included among the key objectives of the policy are the development of a clear policy on the establishment and sustainability of aonaid or sruthanna in existing English-medium post-primary schools to strengthen Irish-medium education provision and the exploration of how opportunities for the establishment of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí can be increased as part of the patronage process.
A public consultation process was launched in October 2022 to gather the views of stakeholders including young people, parents, education professionals, education stakeholders and Irish-language organisations. The first phase of this consultation, which included an online questionnaire and a call for written submissions, concluded on 30 January 2023.
Bunaíodh Gaelcholáiste an Chláir mar aonad lán-Ghaeilge taobh istigh de Choláiste Phobail na hInse in 1993. Níl a leithéid de rud agus aonad lán-Ghaeilge ann i ndáiríre. Is aonad í Gaelcholáiste an Chláir atá nasctha le Coláiste Phobail na hInse, an mháthairscoil, faoi phátrúnacht Bhord Oideachais agus Oiliúna Luimnigh agus an Chláir. Tá tosaíocht lán-Ghaeilge in ainm is a bheith ag an aonad agus soláthraíonn sé oideachas iar-bhunscoile trí mheán na Gaeilge a oiread agus is féidir leis taobh istigh de thimpeallacht Bhéarla na máthairscoile. Is í Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg an scoil is mó a sholáthraíonn daltaí do Ghaelcholáiste an Chláir. Ó 2005, tá an Ghaelscoil, an bhunscoil lán-Ghaeilge atá ag an mbaile, tar éis méadú ó 200 dalta go dtí 470 dalta. Freastalaíonn 100 dalta ar naíonraí lán-Ghaeilge gach bliain i líonra na hInse amháin. Seasann an ráta aistrithe ó Ghaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg go dtí an t-aonad ag idir 50% agus 70% sa bhliain.
Tuigim na pointí atá á ndéanamh ag an Teachta agus an obair atá ar siúl in Inis chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn agus a chaomhnú. Thug mé cuairt ar Ghaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg so tá an obair atá ar siúl ar fud na háite in Inis ar eolas agam. Faoi mar a dúirt mé, táimid ag obair ar pholasaí nua chun aonaid, Gaelscoileanna agus Gaelcholáistí a chur chun cinn agus a neartú. Is é an rud is tábhachtaí ná iad go léir a neartú. Coimeádfaimid ceist Ghaelcholáiste an Chláir faoi athbhreithniú. Is é sin an méid atá le rá agam ag an bpointe seo toisc go bhfuil an polasaí sin á fhorbairt againn.
Ní léir go dtuigeann an Roinn Oideachais an méid oibre atá á dhéanamh ag na daltaí agus tuismitheoirí in Inis. I mbeagán focal, is scannal amach agus amach é nach bhfuil freagra faighte ón Roinn ar an iarratas neamhspleáchais a sheol an patrún, Bord Oideachais agus Oiliúna Luimnigh agus an Chláir, chuici breis agus dhá bhliain ó shin. Is náire é go bhfuil pobal Chontae an Chláir fós ag fanacht ar iar-bhunscoil lán-Ghaeilge neamhspleách tar éis 30 bliain. Tá breis agus 20 iar-bhunscoil Bhéarla i gContae an Chláir agus tá géarchéim rollacháin in Inis faoi láthair. Níl a oiread is ceann amháin de na hiar-bhunscoileanna seo lán-Ghaeilge chun freastal ar bhreis agus 600 dalta atá ag freastal ar Ghaelscoileanna tríd an gcontae. Tá deireadh foighne sroichte ag tuismitheoirí agus scoláirí agus iad ag fanacht le gníomh ón Roinn Oideachais.
Tuigim féin agus tuigeann an Roinn cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an Ghaeilge. Táimid ag déanamh gach iarracht gach tacaíocht a thabhairt chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn agus a chaomhnú. Faoi mar a dúirt mé, tuigim féin agus tuigeann an Roinn an méid atá ar siúl in Inis. Tuigim an obair atá ar siúl ag na daltaí, ag na tuistí agus ag foireann na scoile ó thaobh na Gaeilge de. Ag an am céanna, faoi mar a dúirt mé, ag an bpointe seo táimid ag obair ar pholasaí nua ó thaobh neartú agus chur chun cinn na nGaelscoileanna, na n-aonad agus na nGaelcholáistí. Go dtí go bhfuil sé sin críochnaithe, is é sin an méid atá le rá agam. Táim sásta an cheist seo faoi Ghaelcholáiste an Chláir a choimeád faoi athbhreithniú.
