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ALL WE WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS:

Gaeilge for all in our education system

Minister Joe McHugh accepts 12,000 #Gaeilge4All signatures calling for a comprehensive policy to solve problems with Irish in our education system

12 December 2019

The Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh, TD has today, Thursday 11th of December, at 13:00 accepted 12,000 signatures calling for a comprehensive policy for the Irish Language in the education system from pre-school to third level. The #Gaeilge4All campaign is asking the Minister to give the gift of Gaeilge this Christmas by initiating such a policy that would ensure all can have a positive, meaningful and fulfilling Irish language learning experience throughout their education life.

 

Julian de Spáinn, General Secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge and member of the #Gaeilge4All campaign, said: “We recognise how supportive Minister McHugh is to the Irish language and the turas teanga he has made over the last few years. It would be very apt, therefore, for him to be the pioneering Minister for Education and Skills that initiates this policy that has never been formulated since the foundation of the State in the south, i.e. a policy for Irish in the education system from pre-school to third level. The #Gaeilge4All campaign, and the 12,000 people who signed the petition, are calling on Minister McHugh this Christmas to establish a consultation process immediately to develop the policy and, as was done with the development of the Gaeltacht Education Policy, ensure that the consultation includes submissions from the public, public meetings, stakeholder meetings, etc.. The policy should ensure that everyone has the opportunity to study Irish and that any additional support required for this are provided.”


Clíodhna Ní Dhufaigh, Vice-President for the Irish Language, Union of Students in Ireland (USI) said: “USI is supporting the call of the #Gaeilge4All campaign to the Minister for Education, Joe McHugh, TD to solve the problems with Irish in the education system by drawing up  a comprehensive policy for Irish in the education system from pre-school to third level. The students learning Irish under this new policy would benefit from a coherent and comprehensive approach in the system from the first day of pre-school to the Leaving Certificate examination and on to third level. We must also ensure that the policy includes people from all linguistic backgrounds and abilities”.

 

 

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