Mar is eol don Teachta, cuireann mo Roinn tacaíocht agus acmhainní suntasacha ar fáil chun oideachas lán-Ghaeilge a sholáthar agus a chur chun cinn. Sa chomhthéacs seo, tá obair faoi lán seoil i mo Roinnse chun polasaí nua a fhorbairt don oideachas lán-Ghaeilge lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht.
Agus an polasaí seo á fhorbairt, tá sé mar aidhm ag an Roinn na spriocanna seo a leanas a bhaint amach:
• creat a sholáthar chun oideachas ardchaighdeáin trí mheán na Gaeilge a chur ar fáil i nGaelscoileanna agus i nGaelcholáistí agus i suíomhanna foghlama agus cúraim na luath-óige (mar shampla, naíonraí) lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht
• an líon leanaí agus daoine óga atá ag freastal ar scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge a mhéadú, lena n-áirítear tógáil ar an mbunchloch a leagtar síos i suíomhanna foghlama agus cúraim na luath-óige lán-Ghaeilge (mar shampla, naíonraí)
• iniúchadh a dhéanamh ar na deiseanna chun bunú Gaelscoileanna agus Gaelcholáistí a mhéadú mar chuid den phróiseas pátrúnachta
• polasaí soiléir a fhorbairt ar bhunú agus ar inbhuanaitheacht Aonaid/Sruthanna trí mheán na Gaeilge in iar-bhunscoileanna meán-Bhéarla chun an soláthar oideachais trí mheán na Gaeilge a neartú
• iniúchadh a dhéanamh ar an gcaoi inar féidir an soláthar múinteoirí agus baill foirne eile a bhfuil ardchaighdeán Gaeilge acu a mhéadú chun freastal ar an éileamh i suíomhanna oideachais lán-Ghaeilge.
Tógfaidh an polasaí don oideachas lán-Ghaeilge lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht ar an dul chun cinn suntasach atá déanta maidir le cur i bhfeidhm an Pholasaí ar Oideachas Gaeltachta. Ó foilsíodh é, tá gníomhartha glactha faoin bPolasaí don Oideachas Gaeltachta chun tacú le soláthar múinteoirí a bhfuil ardchaighdeán Gaeilge acu, i measc réimsí eile. Faoin bPolasaí seo, bunaíodh clár oideachais tosaigh múinteoirí B.Oid. (bunmhúinteoireacht) in 2019. Tá maoiniú curtha ar fáil ag mo Roinn do 30 áit nua ar an gclár gach bliain. Bronnadh céimeanna ar an gcéad chohórt de 34 mic léinn ón B.Oid ó Institiúid Oideachais Marino i mí na Samhna 2023. Tugadh cohórt de 56 mac léinn isteach i 2023 ar bhonn eisceachtúil mar chuid de phlean cuimsitheach mo Roinne chun tacú le soláthar múinteoirí.
Tá maoiniú curtha ar fáil faoin bPolasaí do M.Oid. san Oideachas lán-Ghaeilge agus Gaeltachta ó 2018 chun tacú le múinteoirí agus ceannairí scoile barr feabhais a bhaint amach ina gcleachtais oideachais agus ina scileanna teanga. Tá 26 mac léinn nua cláraithe ar an gcúrsa M.Oid i gColáiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath i mbliana.
Tá beirt mhúinteoirí ar iasacht agus sparánachtaí ón gComhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) curtha ar fáil chun tacú leis an Máistir Gairmiúil san Oideachas in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe ó 2017. Bhain 135 mac léinn céim amach ón Máistir Gairmiúil san Oideachas idir 2020 agus 2023.
Faoin scéim iompair iar-bhunscoile, cuireann mo Roinn tacaíocht ar fáil do scoláirí taisteal chuig an iar-bhunscoil lán-Ghaeilge nó an t-aonad lán-Ghaeilge is gaire dóibh, fhad is atá shásaíonn siad na coinníollacha don soláthar, mar shampla go gcónaíonn siad níos mó ná 4.8 ciliméadar ón scoil.
Ó bunaíodh COGG in 2002, tá an-chuid bainte amach acu ó thaobh soláthar téacsleabhar agus áiseanna foghlama agus teagaisc trí Ghaeilge. Cuirtear €1m ar fáil do COGG gach bliain chun acmhainní teagaisc agus foghlama a chur ar fáil, téacsleabhair nua i nGaeilge san áireamh. Beagán le cois €3m atá i gceist le maoiniú COGG in 2024 agus tá breis acmhainní breise foirne ceadaithe ag an Roinn do COGG chun tuilleadh tacaíochta agus feabhsaithe a thabhairt dá ról.
Ó 2020 i leith, tá tairseach nua ar líne á fhorbairt ag COGG (www.tairseachcogg.ie) atá dírithe ar rochtain a chur ar fáil ar acmhainní a thacaíonn leis an bhfoghlaim agus leis an teagasc i scoileanna Gaeltachta agus lán-Ghaeilge. Tá breis is 2,000 acmhainn ar fáil ar an tairseach faoi láthair, idir ábhar bunscoile agus ábhar iar-bhunscoile. Tá acmhainní teagaisc agus foghlama á gcur ar fáil ag múinteoirí don tairseach seo, atá dearbhaithe ar ardchaighdeán sula bhfoilsítear iad.
Tá mo Roinn agus a gníomhaireachtaí tiomanta leanúint leis an obair chun tacú le soláthar agus cur chun cinn an oideachais lán-Ghaeilge do na scoláirí sin agus dá dteaghlaigh ar mian leo freastal ar scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge.
Answer
As the Deputy will be aware, my Department provides significant support and resources towards the provision and promotion of Irish-medium education. In this context, work to develop a new policy for Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht is well under way in my Department.
In developing this policy, the Department aims to achieve the following key objectives:
• provision of a framework for the delivery of high-quality Irish-medium education in Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí and in Irish-medium early learning and care settings (for example, naíonraí) outside of the Gaeltacht
• increasing the proportion of children and young people attending Irish-medium schools, including by building on the foundations laid in Irish-medium early learning and care settings (for example, naíonraí)
• exploring how opportunities for the establishment of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí can be increased as part of the patronage process
• developing a clear policy on the establishment and sustainability of Aonaid/Sruthanna (units/streams) in existing English-medium post-primary schools to strengthen Irish-medium education provision
• examining how the supply of teachers and other staff with a high standard of Irish can be increased to meet demand in Irish-medium education settings
• looking at ways to deepen community engagement around Irish-medium schools and early learning and care settings.
The policy for Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht will build upon the significant progress made in implementing the Policy on Gaeltacht Education. Actions have been taken under the Policy on Gaeltacht Education, since its publication, to support the provision of teachers with a high standard of Irish, amongst other things. Under this Policy, a B.Ed. Initial Teacher Education programme (primary teaching) was established in 2019. Funding has been provided by my Department for 30 new places each year. The first cohort of 34 students from the B.Oid graduated from Marino Institute of Education in November 2023. A cohort of 56 students was taken in in 2023 on an exceptional basis as part of my Department's comprehensive plan to support the supply of teachers.
Funding has been provided under the Policy for an M.Ed. in Irish-medium and Gaeltacht Education since 2018 to support teachers and school leaders to achieve excellence in their educational practices and language skills. 26 new students enrolled on the M.Oid course in Trinity College Dublin this year.
Two teachers on secondment and bursaries from an Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) have been provided to support the Máistir Gairmiúil san Oideachas (Professional Master in Education) at the University of Galway since 2017. 135 students have graduated from the Máistir Gairmiúil san Oideachas between 2020 and 2023.
Under the post-primary transport scheme, my Department provides support for students to travel to their nearest Irish-medium post-primary school or aonad (Irish-medium unit), as long as they meet the other criteria for the provision of school transport, such as living more than 4.8 kilometres away from the school.
Since COGG was established in 2002, it has achieved a great deal in relation to the provision of textbooks and aids to learning and teaching through Irish. €1m is allocated to COGG annually for the production of teaching and learning resources, including new textbooks in Irish. Funding for COGG in 2024 is just over €3m and further additional staffing resources have been sanctioned for COGG by the Department to further support and enhance their role.
Since 2020, COGG has been developing a new online portal dedicated to providing access to resources that support learning and teaching in Gaeltacht and Irish-medium schools. There are currently in excess of 2,000 resources on the portal, “An Tairseach” (www.tairseachcogg.ie) catering for both primary and post-primary schools, teachers and pupils. Teachers are producing teaching and learning resources for the portal which are quality-assured before publication.
My Department and its agencies are committed to continuing to work to support the provision and promotion of Irish-medium education for those students and their families who wish to attend Irish-medium schools.
