Major review of gaelscoileanna to seek children’s views

THE views of children as young as 10 are being sought in a major review of language and literacy in all-Irish primary schools.

The exercise by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) has been ordered by Education Minister Mary Hanafin, who wants specific information and advice on literacy issues in Irish language settings, particularly in infant classes.

The review may have been partly prompted by a dispute between some parents and management of a Kerry gaelscoil over its policy of language immersion for junior and senior infants, but Ms Hanafin is understood to have some concerns on the matter already.

Her inspectors have made a number of visits to Gaelscoil Uí Easmainn in Tralee, where parents complained that children were not being taught English until first class, although this policy has been modified since last autumn.

However, Ms Hanafin has publicly stated her belief that basic literacy in English should be taught to junior infants in all-Irish schools. Current curricular guidelines suggest half an hour a day of English be taught to children in Irish-medium primary schools.

As an advisory body to the minister, the NCCA said it has been aware about issues surrounding the implementation of the 1999 primary curriculum in English and Irish.

“From our review of the curriculum completed last year, it became clear there were problems with English in all-Irish schools. We had been working on guidelines on the best ways to approach the issue of teaching English in Irish medium settings before the minister asked us to look specifically at the literacy issue,” said NCCA chief executive, Anne Looney.

While some people have expressed concern about the impact of totally immersing infants in Irish, others believe that the language skills it can develop actually improve children’s general literacy levels.

However, it is hoped that the consultation process now being started will inform better practice on issues like parental involvement, teaching methods and measuring literacy.

A questionnaire has been submitted to the country’s 150 Gaeltacht primary schools and 160 gaelscoileanna, with staff, parents and fifth and sixth-class pupils asked to submit their views. The questionnaire is also being sent to second-level students who attended an all-Irish primary school, asking them to assess their learning of English.

Ms Looney said it is clear from the close examination of six all-Irish schools being circulated as part of the consultation that policies and practices differ largely between schools.

“Across the board, some parents are not clear about why a school does what it does. But when it comes to education in a language not used primarily at home, parents need to be up to speed about how literacy is being supported,” she said.

It is hoped that the findings from the survey, along with an assessment of international research on second language learning, will be compiled and used to formulate NCCA advice to Ms Hanafin by the end of the year.