INTO head urges new approach to teaching Irish

CHILDREN should not write Irish or learn complicated grammar “as Gaeilge” until the end of primary school if the language is to flourish, a teachers’ leader suggested last night.

Sheila Nunan, president of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) made the proposal as she called for a major reform of the Irish language curriculum.

Speaking at the union’s annual congress in Killarney, Ms Nunan said parents of infant pupils who don’t learn reading or writing in Irish witness their enthusiasm for speaking the language. She said most families respond by using their own few words of Irish and learning it becomes a positive experience for pupils at home and in school.