Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 June 2020
262. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills if additional support will be provided to students who attend Gaelscoileanna particularly in cases in which Irish is not spoken in the home therefore depriving students of day-to-day use of their primary learning language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9156/20]
View answerA key priority for my Department is to minimise the impact of school closures on the educational attainment of all learners due to the Covid 19 pandemic. We are currently undertaking a number of actions to ensure this.
A range of guidance has already been published to assist schools and teachers to ensure continuity of learning to support students while out of school. This guidance has issued to schools to support the continuity of teaching and learning, to support those with special educational needs, to support those at risk of educational disadvantage and to support the well-being of students. Further guidance is being developed to support primary schools. This guidance has been developed in consultation with all th management bodies and unions.
Schools have adopted various ways to engage with their students and these will vary in accordance with the technology and broadband resources available in school and at the home. Schools are engaging with students and parents using various means such as by post, e-mails, communication apps or the school website. Where technology permits, students may have regular engagement with their teacher/s on platforms such as Google Classroom, Microsoft Office 365 and Edmodo or participate in live meetings through the use of tools such as Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex. Schools have been asked to be conscious of pupils who may not have access to online facilities and to adapt approaches so that these pupils continue to have the opportunity to participate in learning. The aim of these distant learning approaches is to ensure that children stay connected with learning to facilitate progression to the next level of their education.
Schools are best placed to make decisions with regards to the learning of their pupils including language. Resources are available on websites such as COGG.ie, PDST.ie and gaeloideachas.ie to assist schools at this time. Parents of children in Irish-medium schools are encouraged to provide opportunities for their children to hear and engage with the Irish language, using Irish language television programmes and resources provided from their schools and from the websites mentioned above.
In order to complement the efforts of teachers and parents/guardians to support continuity of learning, TG4 is broadcasting Cúla4 ar Scoil, a half-hour Irish-language programme broadcast daily by Fibín Teo (10.00 am-10.30am) incorporating a range of Irish-language dialects. Lessons can also be viewed on TG4 Player. Cúla4 ar Scoil includes learning experiences drawn from core curriculum subjects including Irish, Mathematics, History, Geography with an emphasis on creativity, the arts (Music, Visual Arts and Drama), oral traditions, SPHE/PE (health and well-being). In order to further engage children immediately before and after the Cúla4 ar Scoil, programme (9.30am to 11am), TG4 has added additional features to other programmes including Bia Linn, Ár Scéal, Timmy ag Foghlaim, Is Eolaí Mé agus WAC.
This programme, which commenced on 20 April, is presented by two practising primary school teachers with a high levels of proficiency in Irish, with contributions from teachers and facilitators from other communities and Gaeltacht regions. The timetable for lessons is posted online in advance of the series of lessons covered the following week to inform teachers, parents and children.
Cúla4 ar Scoil will run until the end of June 2020 and it is planned that it will resume in September 2020.
A 5-week thematic Summer Camp-type Programme will be broadcast on TG4 from 29 June 2020 through to the beginning of August 2020.
