NCCA considers college dedicated to Gaelscoil teacher training

A DEDICATED teacher training college for those seeking work in all-Irish schools has been proposed as part of a review of teaching of the language.

The proposal is one of a number in relation to teacher education being considered by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) before presenting advice on the issue to Education Minister Mary Hanafin, probably in January.

A discussion document was submitted to a seminar held by the NCCA and An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG), a statutory body catering for the needs of the 350 Gael- scoileanna and schools in Gaeltacht regions.

In the document, Pádraig Ó Duibhir, lecturer at St Patrick’s College in Dublin, proposes that an independent college of education be set up to educate teachers to teach in these schools.

“This college should be part of a university structure, in order to guarantee academic standards, to draw on wider expertise and to provide personal development opportunities for students,” he said.

Mr Ó Duibhir suggests it should initially offer postgraduate diploma courses in teaching through Irish, followed in time by primary education degrees and masters’ degrees, with students being taught in an Irish- speaking environment.

Various reports have identified difficulty with the standard of Irish among teachers in Gaeltacht schools, and most may not have specific training in teaching through Irish either.

It is also proposed that the COGG consults with the teacher training colleges — the largest being St Patrick’s College and Mary Immaculate College in Limerick — to improve the provision for immersion education and teaching through Irish.

Mr Ó Duibhir also suggests a need for greater professional development opportunities for teachers in all-Irish schools.

The policy of immersion, whereby all subjects except English are taught through Irish, is the subject of controversy in a Co Kerry Gaelscoil. There, parents have complained that infants are not being taught the half an hour a day of English required in the primary curriculum. Education Minister Mary Hanafin has sought legal advice on the school’s policy and may have the power to withdraw funding from the school under the Education Act.

The NCCA is reviewing this issue as part of an overall evaluation of language and literacy in all-Irish schools, with particular emphasis on learning in infant classes. It has received more than 600 responses to a survey of teachers, parents and students on the issues.

Of the young people who returned the questionnaire, almost 90% reported that they learned English from the television, although this was just one of a number of options they chose.

NCCA chief executive Anne Looney said the large number of parents who responded was very encouraging, as their involvement in children’s learning is likely to be stressed in any guidelines from the review.

“We cannot place the burden of restoring and revitalising the language on the backs of the next generation. If we are to look to a brighter future for Irish, we must ensure that it is no burden, but a joy to learn, to speak and to hear,” she said.