asked the Minister for Education if he is aware that students in second year at Saint Patrick's Training College, Dublin, are compelled to write their examination answers in Irish in the subjects of teaching methods, art, physical education, drama and music while their lectures are at present in English; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Training College Examination.
44.
The final training college examination establishes that candidates who pass it are competent to teach the primary school curriculum through Irish and English. In order to enable candidates to reach the necessary proficiency it is essential that some at least of the lectures given in the curricular subjects be through Irish and in order to test that proficiency it is equally essential that candidates sit their written tests through the medium of Irish.
The examination papers in these subjects have been set in the Irish language for some 40 years.
Am I allowed to ask a supplementary?
The Deputy could try.
As the Ceann Comhairle has said before, I ask short supplementaries but they are not so kindly. May I ask the Minister, if the lectures are given in English, who sets the papers in Irish?
The papers are set in Irish and that is all I can say.
Who sets the papers?
They set themselves.
It is usual in all institutes of higher education that the people who give the lectures set the papers. Are they set in English and then translated into Irish?
The policy is to set the papers in Irish. That has been the policy for the past 40 years.
And the Minister will not change it?
I certainly will not and I am not making any apology for it either.
The Minister can never apologise to anyone. That is his trouble.
Are the courses in Irish?
There is no reason why the courses should not be in Irish. In fact they should be in Irish.
Did the Minister give those instructions?
The point I am making is that there is no reason, except in the case of one or two subjects where there are problems in relation to terminology, why the instruction should not be given through the medium of Irish.
If problems of terminology arise in the courses, would they not arise in the examinations also?
In the two subjects where this problem arises we do not ask the students to answer in Irish.
Is it the case that the decision about the lectures is made by the authorities of the college and the decision about the examinations is made by the Minister?
The position is that the courses should be taught through the medium of Irish and this is in accordance with the policy of the Government.
Whose policy?
The policy of the Government.
What have they got to do with the college?
Surely the Deputy is not suggesting that the Government have not got a right to have a policy in relation to the Irish language.
In relation to a private institution.
The Government writ does not run.
If the policy about the lectures is determined by the college authorities, are they not free to decide in what language they will set their own papers? Have they the power to do that? Is there some law that prevents them?
The subjects should be taught through the medium of Irish.
Should be? What does that mean? Under what law or order?
Because of the fact that this is the policy of the Government.
What has it got to do with them? They cannot impose their will on them.
(Interruptions.)
Does the standard of entrance to the training colleges require that any trainee teacher should be capable of handling questions in Irish or in English? Is this not part of the Fine Gael policy to remove Irish from our schools?
As I am sure Deputies are very well aware, the training colleges are under the direct control of the Department of Education.
Can the Minister state the legal authority for that?
I am calling Question No. 45.
I am entitled to ask the Minister for his legal authority.
Let us make some progress. Question No. 45.
The Minister has none, apparently.
What steps is the Minister taking to see that the courses are held in Irish?
In all the training colleges except the one named here, they are given, so far as I am aware, through the medium of Irish. I have given instructions that the lectures should be delivered through the medium of Irish in certain subjects. We are particularly concerned about competency to answer teaching-method papers through the medium of Irish because of our policy in primary schools that a teacher leaving the training college should be proficient at training through the medium of both languages.
What if he gets his courses in English?
I have called Question No. 45. We cannot spend all day on this question.
Can the Minister state his legal authority?