asked the Minister for Education whether he is aware that the standard of general education amongst children in Ireland at any specified age is lower than the standard attained by British or Northern Ireland children, because the teaching of many subjects through the medium of Irish to nonnative Irish speakers has become the general policy of his Department for national schools; and, if so, what steps he proposes to take to ensure that Irish children will receive the highest attainable standard of general education during their limited period of school going years.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Standard of Education.
I am quite unprepared to accept the Deputy's suggestion that the standard of general education among children in Ireland is lower than the standard attained in neighbouring territories.
Nor am I prepared to accept his description of the general policy of the Department in relation to the use of the Irish language; nor, at any rate at this stage, to accept his suggestion that the policy with regard to Irish, such as it may be, has lowered the general standard of education among the children here.
I know of no facts that would warrant any such assertions, and I should be glad to have any information in the Deputy's possession which causes him to make them.
I have in the past drawn attention to a low standard of education evidenced by the number of recruits rejected in recent years on educational grounds for the Army, and I have criticised certain aspects of the policy of the Department in the past, which tended to undermine public confidence in the educational policy, and which in my opinion tended to militate against the best educational results. These included exceptionally large classes in some areas; failure to consider systematically suggestions and reports made by experienced teachers and teaching bodies; failure to review or to report systematically on the progress attained in the various subjects in the primary schools.
I am examining all these matters over a wide area with a view to seeing to what extent the general standard of education may be improved.
Will the Minister say if he intends to pursue an inquiry into the matter to which he has referred in his answer, that is, the standard of education of certain recruits presenting themselves for the Army? I should also like to ask whether, in connection with that inquiry, if it is pursued, the Minister is aware that complaints have been made in Great Britain and the United States of America, and perhaps in other countries, of the standard of education of recruits for the armies of these countries. I should also like to ask if the Minister is aware that during the emergency period evidence was forthcoming from a number of teachers that the standard of education here was well in advance of that of the pupils who were evacuated here from Great Britain.
The necessity does not arise for me to institute an inquiry into the matter. I referred to criticism which I made in the past on facts and figures supplied by the defence authorities at that time.