State may force school to teach English
Her department is seeking legal advice after disagreement with the board of Gaelscoil Uí Easmainn in Tralee about its policy of total immersion in Irish for junior and senior infants.
Under the Education Act, a school could lose its recognition and State funding if it does not implement the curriculum, although such measures have not been taken before.
The dispute began with parents in 2003 when the school board decided pupils would not be taught English until first class. Some parents claim their children are being denied the right to at least two-and-a-half hours a week of English for gaelscoil pupils set out in the primary curriculum and a number of them have recently complained to Children’s Ombudsman Emily Logan.
The matter was brought to the department’s attention in 2004 and its inspectors visited the school in November 2005 and last February.
“The department wrote to the board of management, saying it should be implementing the full curriculum in all classes. The board has responded and we’re now seeking legal advice on the issue,” a department spokesperson said last night.
The school is understood to insist on its right to determine its own language policy. The school could not be reached for comment last night. Supporters of the Gaelscoil Uí Easmainn board have said total immersion is used successfully elsewhere and international research suggests it can lead to a greater proficiency in both languages. The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) has called for a national language policy rather than what it describes as the reactive manner of the department’s policy making on the issue.
“I believe this policy is loaded against the least academic children and those without extensive home supports,” said David Rath, father of a sixth class pupil and whose youngest child is due to begin junior infants next September.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
