Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
1066. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Education her plans in terms of Irish language provision from primary to third-level education in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41024/21]
View answerAs part of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030, my Department has committed to creating opportunities for expanding Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht in the context of the April 2018 announcement on the establishment of 42 new schools from 2019 to 2022, which will afford particular consideration to the establishment of Gaelscoileanna, Gaelcholáistí, and Aonaid Lán-Ghaeilge as part of the new patronage process. Since the April 2018 announcement the number of new schools to be established over the period 2019 to 2022 to meet a demographic demand has increased to 47 schools.
The requirement for additional school places is kept under on-going review and work on an updated exercise to assess needs for the coming years, including those which may arise in County Louth, is underway.
Should a new school be required in the area my Department will operate a patronage process, which provides objective information and allows parents to express their preferences in relation to the patronage and language of instruction, i.e. Irish or English, of these new schools (with the exception of those schools which have been designated as Irish-medium gaelscoileanna in advance of the patronage process opening for parents). Parental preferences, as well as other considerations such as the extent of diversity of provision in an area (including Irish-medium provision), are key to the decision-making process.
As the Deputy may be aware, I recently approved a proposal for a new satellite model of Irish-medium post-primary provision to be piloted in Dundalk. The model involves a satellite /Dundalk-based campus of An Foras Pátrúnachta’s Balbriggan Gaelcholáiste – Coláiste Ghlór na Mara.
Piloting the Irish-medium satellite model provides an opportunity to explore a model which could have strategic benefits and applicability elsewhere in the country where the establishment of a stand-alone gaelcholáiste is not currently feasible but where there may be a level of unmet demand for Irish-medium post-primary education.
Details of schools that provide education through the medium of Irish are available on my Department's website www.education.ie.
The Deputy might also wish to note that my Department is working on an ongoing basis on the initial planning work required for the development of an Irish-medium policy as part of the overall framework of the 20-year Strategy for the Irish language 2010-2030. The development of the policy will be informed by a consultation process and I look forward to working with relevant stakeholders in progressing this important work and building on the positive outcomes achieved already in the implementation of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education to strengthen Irish-medium education provision.
