(English below)

“Cur chuige dáiríre” atá ag teastáil dar le hurlabhraí Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais, Taighde, Nuálaíochta agus Eolaíochta de chuid Sinn Féin, Rose-Conway Walsh TD, má táimid ag iarraidh an Ghaeilge a bheith i lár an aonaigh ag an ardleibhéal agus más mian linn “ligint don Ghaelollscolaíocht forbairt agus bláthú”.

Bhí an Teachta Dála ar son dáilcheantar Mhaigh Eo ag caint agus í ag seoladh sraith leasuithe chun ról na Gaeilge a threisiú i mBille an Údaráis um Ardoideachas atá molta ag an tAire Simon Harris agus a tháinig os comhair Roghchoiste na Dála don chéad uair an tseachtain seo.

Dúirt an Teachta Conway-Walsh:

“Bhí díomá orm maidin inné gur dhiúltaigh an tAire Harris glacadh le leasú simplí chun féiniúlacht Gaelach an Údaráis um Ardoideachas a láidriú agus gur chinn sé leanacht ar aghaidh ag tabhairt “Higher Education Authority” ar an eagras, in ainneoin nach bhfuil a leithéid le feiscint aon áit sa dlí.

“Beidh deiseanna ag an Aire sna seachtain amach romhainn éisteacht a thabhairt do na leasuithe suntasacha atá curtha le chéile ag foireann Shinn Féin chun cearta a chinntiú do mhic léinn a thagann amach ón Ghaeloideachas dara-leibhéal leanacht ar aghaidh ag staidéar trí Ghaeilge ag an ardleibhéal, agus chun a chinntiú go mbeidh daoine le Gaeilge ceaptha ar an Údarás agus ar bhoird ollscoile fud fad an stait.

“Tá leasú againn freisin ag moladh stráitéis bunaithe ar thaighde chun cur go mór leis an nGaelollscolaíocht agus deiseanna foghlama do Ghaeilgeoirí ag an ardleibhéal i réimse leathan ábhair, áit a mbeadh ról don Údarás um Ardoideachas iniúchadh a dhéanamh ar na féadarthachtaí a bhainfeadh le Gaelollscoil nua a bhunú sa Ghaeltacht, nó Coláiste Oiliúna lánGhaeilge do Mhúinteoirí mar a bhí molta sa Staidéar Cuimsitheach Teangeolaíoch chomh fada siar le 2007.”

D’fháiltigh urlabhraí Gaeilge, Gaeltachta, Ealaíon agus Cultúir Shinn Féin, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, roimh fhógra an Aire go nglacfaidh sé le roinnt moltaí ó Conradh na Gaeilge, ach d’impigh sé ar an Aire Harris tabhairt faoi na leasuithe curtha chun cinn ag Teachta Conway-Walsh a chur i bhfeidhm.

Dúirt an Cathaoirleach ar Chomhchoiste Oireachtais na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta agus Phobail Labhartha na Gaeilge:

“Tá thart ar 50,000 dalta bunscoile ag freastal ar Ghaelscoileana sa tír, agus timpeall 16,000 ag Gaelcholáistí dara-leibhéal, ach ansin is cosúil go dtiteann an tóin as ról na Gaeilge san oideachas ag an ardleibhéal, áit nach bhfuil figiúirí cruinn á chóireamh maidir le líon na ndaltaí nó infheistíocht.

“Is léir go bhfuil teipthe go hiomlán leis an reachtaíocht mar a bhí, áit a bhí cur chun cinn na Gaeilge mar sprioc don Údarás um Ardoideachas. Tá géarchéim sochtheangeolaíoch as cuimse sa Ghaeltacht agus tá dúshlán nua romhainn chun an sprioc 20% earcaithe le Gaeilge a bhaint amach sa státsheirbhís roimh 2030, ach ar chúis éicint níl cur chuige stráitéiseach don Ghaeilge le sonrú sa Bhille seo.

“Tá deis ag an Aire Harris a léiriú nach bhfuil an meon ‘bla bla bla’ aige, mar a bhí curtha ina leith ag Éamon Ó Cuív le déanaí, ach go bhfuil suim aige ní hamháin glacadh le moltaí an Chonartha, ach dul níos faide agus deiseanna fadsaol oideachais a chruthú do na glúnta Gaelacha amach romhainn.”

[ENGLISH VERSION]

Serious approach needed to enable Irish medium third-level education flourish – Rose Conway-Walsh & Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Rose Conway-Walsh TD, has said a “serious approach” is needed if we hope to put the Irish language at the heart of higher level and “enable Gaelollscolaíocht to develop and flourish”.

The Mayo TD was speaking as she launched a series of amendments to strengthen the role of Irish in the Higher Education Authority Bill proposed by Minister Simon Harris, which came before the Dáil Select Committee for the first time this week.

Teachta Conway-Walsh said:

“I was disappointed that Minister Harris rejected a simple amendment to cement the Irish language identity of the Údarás um Ardoideachas and instead chose to continue calling the body the “Higher Education Authority”, despite no such name existing in law.

“The Minister will have opportunities in the coming weeks to give a hearing to substantial amendments that Sinn Féin’s team has put together to ensure a right for students coming out of second-level Irish medium education to continue studying through Irish at higher level, and to ensure that people competent in Irish are appointed to the Údarás and university boards across the state.

“We also have an amendment proposing an evidence-based strategy to significantly support Irish medium university education and learning opportunities for Irish speakers at higher level across a wide variety of disciplines, where the Údarás um Ardoideachas (HEA) would have a role examining possibilities for setting up a new Irish speaking university (Gaelollscoil) in the Gaeltacht, or an all-Irish Teacher Training College as was recommended in the Comprehensive Linguistic Study as far back as 2007.

Sinn Féin spokesperson for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht, Arts and Culture, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, welcomed the Minister’s announcement that he will adopt some of Conradh na Gaeilge’s proposals, but he implored Minister Harris to give proper consideration to amendments put forward by Teachta Conway-Walsh as well.

The Chair of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Irish language, Gaeltacht and Irish-speaking Community said:

“Roughly 50,000 primary school students attend Gaelscoils nationwide, and around 16,000 go to second-level Gaelcholáistí, but then we see the role of Irish collapses at higher level, where accurate figures on numbers of students or investment aren’t even collated.

“It is clear that the existing legislation has failed entirely, despite the promotion of Irish being a specific objective of the Údarás um Ardoideachas (HEA).

“We have an unprecedented sociolinguistic crisis in the Gaeltacht and the new challenge of trying to meet the 20% target for Irish-speaking recruits to the public service by 2030, but for some reason there is no strategic approach for Irish detailed in this Bill.

“Minister Harris has an opportunity to show that the ‘bla bla bla’ approach Éamon Ó Cuív accused him of recently is not accurate, and instead show an interest not only in accepting the Conradh proposals, but going further and creating lifelong educational opportunities for generations of Irish speakers to come.”