Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 January 2019
293. D'fhiafraigh Deputy John Brassil den Aire Oideachais agus Scileanna an ndéanfaidh sé an cóimheas idir daltaí agus múinteoirí do 2008 a chur i bhfeidhm go práinneach agus i gceart do scoileanna Gaeltachta atá páirteach sa Scéim Aitheantais, ós rud é go mbeidh an cóimheas seo idir daltaí agus múinteoirí ag teastáil ó na scoileanna Gaeltachta; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [54068/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraLeithdháiltear uaireanta breise tacaíochta teanga sa Ghaeilge (sa bhreis ar an ngnáth-leithdháileadh foirne) ar scoileanna atá rannpháirteach sa Scéim Aitheantais Scoileanna Gaeltachta.
Ó bunaíodh An tAonad um Oideachas Gaeltachta laistigh den Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna rinneadh dul chun cinn suntasach i ndáil le forbairt na Scéime Aitheantais Scoileanna Gaeltachta tar éis comhairliúcháin le páirtithe leasmhara ábhartha, agus ó cuireadh tús lena cur chun feidhme sna scoileanna. Is é cuspóir na Scéime ligean do scoileanna rannpháirteacha, tar éis comhairiúcháin lena bpobail áitiúla, féachaint chun Aitheantas mar Scoil Ghaeltachta a ghnóthú thar thréimhse cúig bliana an Pholasaí don Oideachas Gaeltachta 2017-2022 ar bhunús chur chun feidhme na gcritéar sonrach teanga-bhunaithe, lena n-áirítear cur chun feidhme an chur chuige lán-tumoideachais sa Ghaeilge, seachas i dteagasc an Bhéarla agus na dteangacha eachtracha agus pleananna gníomhaíochta a bheith forbartha ag scoileanna chun tacú leis an gcur chun feidhme.
D'athbhreithnigh An tAonad um Oideachas Gaeltachta na pleananna gníomhaíochta um fheabhsúchán a bhí ag gach scoil a bhí rannpháirteach sa Scéim i mí Feabhra na bliana 2018, agus tugadh aiseolas do gach scoil faoi leith. Chuir sé sin ar chumas gach scoil rannpháirteach rochtain a fháil ar acmhainní breise ó mhí Mheán Fómhair 2018 ar aghaidh. I measc na n-acmhainní sin tá rochtain ar dheontas chun acmhainní teagaisc trí mheán na Gaeilge a cheannach, uaireanta breise do theagasc teanga chun tacú leis an nGaeilge, forbairt ghairmiúil leanúnach sa bhreis arna soláthar ag COGG, agus cuairteanna comhairleacha breise arna soláthar ag an gCigireacht.
Ba ar bhunús na bhfigiúirí rollaithe a taifeadadh sa bhliain roimhe sin a leithdháileadh na huaireanta tacaíochta teanga breise don Ghaeilge ar scoileanna a bhí rannpháirteach sa Scéim ó mhí Mheán Fómhair 2018 ar aghaidh, rud a thagann le gnásanna na Roinne. Tugadh an rogha do scoileanna ag an mbunleibhéal na huaireanta breise tacaíochta teanga sin a chomhcheangal le bunscoileanna eile sa cheantar chun braislí a chruthú, rud a cheadódh post teagaisc sealadach ar bhonn páirtaimseartha a chruthú, ar post é a bheadh comhroinnte idir na bunscoileanna sa bhraisle faoi leith.
Oibríonn an sceideal reatha um sholáthar foirne sna bunscoileanna ag meán ginearálta 1 mhúinteoir amháin in aghaidh gach 26 dalta, an staid is fabhraí riamh a chonacthas ag an mbunleibhéal. Breithneofar aon fheabhsú breise mar chuid den chéad phróiseas buiséadach bliantúil eile, in éineacht leis na héilimh iomadúla eile ón earnáil oideachais.
Táthar ag cur bailchríche leis na socruithe ginearálta um leithdháileadh foirne don bhliain 2019/20 faoi láthair, agus beidh siad sin ar fáil ar láithreán gréasáin mo Roinnese an chéad mhí eile. Ag teacht leis na ngnás atá i bhfeidhm le roinnt blianta anuas, beidh rátaí coinneála níos fearr i scoileanna Gaeltachta ná i scoileanna eile mar thoradh ar na socruithe foirne sin.
Additional language support hours for Irish (over and above the normal staffing allocation), are allocated to schools participating in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme.
Since the establishment of An tAonad um Oideachas Gaeltachta within the Department of Education and Skills, significant progress has been made in relation to the development of the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme following consultation with relevant stakeholders, and commencement of its implementation in schools. The objective of the Scheme is to allow participating schools, following consultation with their local communities, to seek to achieve Gaeltacht School Recognition over the 5 year period of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022 on the basis of the implementation of specific language-based criteria, including the implementation of a total-immersion approach in Irish except for the teaching of the subject English and foreign languages and the development of action plans by schools to support implementation.
Each participating school’s action plans for improvement was reviewed by An tAonad um Oideachas Gaeltachta in February 2018 and feedback was provided to each individual school. This enabled each participating school, to access additional resources from September 2018. These resources include access to a grant to purchase Irish-medium teaching resources, additional language-teaching hours to support Irish, additional continuing professional development delivered by COGG, and additional advisory visits provided by the Inspectorate.
The additional language support hours for Irish allocated to schools participating in the Scheme from September 2018, was based on the enrolment figures recorded in the previous year, which is in line with Department norms. Schools at primary level, were given the option to combine these additional language support hours with other primary schools in the locality to form clusters, which would allow for the creation of a temporary part-time teaching post that would be shared by the primary schools in the particular cluster.
The current staffing schedule in primary schools operates at a general average of 1 teacher for every 26 pupils which is the most favourable position ever seen at primary level. Any additional improvement will be considered as part of the next annual budgetary process alongside the many other demands from the education sector.
The general staffing allocation arrangements for 2019/20 are currently being finalised and will be available on my Department’s website next month. As has been the norm for the past number of years, these staffing arrangements will allow for more favourable retention rates in Gaeltacht schools than in other schools.
