Lesson may end in legal action

After 15 years, and much worry and expense for the many primary teachers affected, the Department of Education may have at last learned its lesson.

For that length of time it insisted, maybe illegally, that thousands of teachers trained outside Ireland take a notoriously difficult examination in the Irish language, although an easier option was available to them.

The regulations in 1991 gave affect to an EU directive which allowed foreign-qualified teachers to take an adaptation course during which the Irish language requirement for registration can be met.

The Department of Education, in the meantime, ignored the directive which meant that the affected teachers had to take what is known as the SCG (Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge). Not alone was it difficult with a high rate of failure, candidates had to pay an exam fee and also pay for a specialised course.

The situation was compounded by the department, because it had been asked by the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation to implement the directive.

For whatever reason, people were not told of the easier option available to them until the Teaching Council assumed responsibility for registration earlier this year.

Because of this failure, those whom it failed to inform of their legal right of an easier option through which to have their competence in the Irish language assessed may have grounds for a legal action.