asked the Minister for Education if, as Gaeltacht and island scholarships are of equal monetary value and are assessed on the same examination papers, he will grant to teachers whose pupils procure island scholarships the same incentive bonus of £3 per pupil as is given to teachers whose pupils are successful in Gaeltacht scholarships.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Island Scholarships.
71.
The incentive bonus is confined to the scheme governing the award of the Gaeltacht scholarships and is payable in respect of the first 90 girls and 60 boys who pass the examination for these scholarships whether they secure scholarships. The island scholarships are open to pupils from all the islands whether they be in the Gaeltacht or Galltacht. I feel that it would be at variance with the spirit and purpose of the original scheme to extend it to non-Gaeltacht areas. I might mention that the examination for the Gaeltacht island scholarships is the same as that for the Gaeltacht scholarships. Therefore, there is no reason why a pupil from a Gaeltacht island cannot be entered for both sets of scholarships and thereby have an opportunity of qualifying for the incentive scheme.