Féachann Clodagh Ní Mhuirí ar na hathruithe atá i ndán don Ghaeilge do bhunscoileanna timpeall na tíre faoin gcuraclam athfhorbartha.
Last week, the Minister for Education, Helen McEntee TD, launched specifications for the redeveloped primary school curriculum, which will be implemented in every primary school and special school across the country. This marks the most significant change to the primary curriculum since 1999 and it places emphasis on key principles, including integrated learning, communication skills, innovation, play, and well-being. The new curriculum will be introduced on a phased basis starting in the 2026-27 school year – but what will be in store for Irish?
One of the changes to be considered is the amount of time teachers will spend on particular subjects in the classroom. More time will be set aside for wellbeing, teachers will have additional flexible time, and new language specifications will be introduced including modern foreign languages. As a result, the amount of time allocated to the teaching of other subjects – including Irish – will be reduced. However, Irish will still be one of the subjects with a required minimum time allocation, in effect meaning it will retain the status of a core subject.
Different approaches will apply for the time reductions for English and Irish depending on the school's primary language (that is, in schools where English or Irish is the primary language of the school – in each case, the primary language is referred to as Language 1). The following reductions will apply for Language 1:
- A reduction of 45 minutes per week in infant classes (i.e. a reduction of 45 minutes for English in an English-medium school, and a reduction of 45 minutes per week for Irish in an Irish-medium school),
- A reduction of 15 minutes per week in First and Second Class, and
- A reduction of 60 minutes per week from Third Class onwards, when students will begin to learn a modern foreign language as a third language.
There will be no change to the time allocated to the second language (Language 2) in infant classes, but there will be a 30-minute reduction in weekly teaching time for this language from First Class onwards. This means that there will be a reduction of 30 minutes per week for the teaching of Irish in English-medium schools, and for the teaching of English in Irish-medium schools.
In Irish-medium and Gaeltacht schools, as Irish is the primary language of the school (Language 1), there will be less time allocated to the teaching of Irish from the beginning, and a further reduction in the higher classes.
Irish-language organisations, including Conradh na Gaeilge and Gaeloideachas, have expressed their disappointment and worry in respect of the reduction in the amount of teaching time that will be spent on Irish. They are concerned that the new language specifications will have a negative impact on the teaching of Irish, particularly in English-medium schools. The Department of Education says that there has been no change to their commitment to Irish, and that teachers will have opportunities to integrate Irish into the curriculum in other ways, for example through the additional flexible time.
The new curriculum provides for more flexible time during the course of the week – that is, time teachers can decide how to use based on their understanding of what the students in their classes most need. During that time, teachers will be able to focus on the subjects or projects they feel best suit their students, or in which students need additional support. If a teacher is of the view that the amount of time allocated to Irish lessons is insufficient, or if they feel that it would benefit their students to spend more time on Irish, they will have the option to spend some of the flexible time on it.
The specifications recommend that Irish is used regularly during the day outside of Irish lessons, as a language of communication and management. Additionally, there is an emphasis on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), a strategy for teaching other subjects through the medium of Irish in English-medium schools. It is already practiced in some schools in which PE is taught through the medium of Irish, and more schools take part in the initiative each year. This is another way in which Irish will be used in other subjects outside of the language curriculum.
There has been significant media coverage of the new language specifications and introduction of modern foreign languages as a third language for students. There will be a focus on communication skills, language awareness and intercultural awareness, and how skills, strategies, and knowledge can be transferred between languages so that children will have a strong base when learning additional languages. From Third Class onwards, students will develop their understanding of language awareness and how languages work, using their knowledge of English, Irish, and other languages. This will include specific lessons and links with other subjects – for example, as part of a geography lesson, a class could investigate the meaning of local place names. When children reach Fifth Class, they will begin to learn a modern foreign language as well as gradually adding to their language awareness.
Of course, the new curriculum specifications are not the only factor that will impact the teaching of Irish at primary level. Other challenges must also be addressed, including the system of exemptions from the study of Irish and the number of exemptions currently being granted, the support needed by students with additional educational needs to learn Irish, and the teacher supply crisis. That crisis is all the more acute in the Irish-medium education sector, which critically needs more teachers with the ability to teach through the medium of Irish.
Two key policies are yet to be published by the Department of Education – the Action Plan for Irish in English-medium Schools and the Policy for Irish-medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht. While the language specifications set out in the new curriculum have important goals, particularly in respect of transferable language skills, we will not have a complete understanding of what is in store for the teaching of Irish in English-medium or Irish-medium schools until these policies are published.
An tseachtain seo caite, sheol an tAire Oideachais, Helen McEntee TD, sonraíochtaí don churaclam athfhorbartha bunscoile a chuirfear i bhfeidhm i ngach bunscoil agus scoil speisialta amach anseo. Is é seo an t-athrú is mó ar churaclam na bunscoile ón mbliain 1999, agus leagfar béim ar phrionsabail faoi leith – an fhoghlaim chomhtháite, scileanna cumarsáide, nuálaíocht, spraoi, agus folláine san áireamh. Déanfar an curaclam nua a chur i bhfeidhm ar bhonn céimnithe ón scoilbhliain 2026-27 ar aghaidh. Ach céard a bheidh i ndán don Ghaeilge?
Ceann de na hathruithe a bheidh le tabhairt san áireamh ná an méid ama a bheidh ar mhúinteoirí a chaitheamh ar ábhair faoi leith sa seomra ranga. Dáilfear níos mó ama ar an fholláine, bronnfar níos mó ama solúbtha ar mhúinteoirí, agus tabharfar isteach sonraíochtaí teanga nua le nuatheangacha iasachta san áireamh. Mar gheall air sin, déanfar laghdú ar an líon ama a bheidh ar fáíl d'ábhair eile, an Ghaeilge san áireamh. É sin ráite, beidh an Ghaeilge fós mar cheann de na hábhair a bheidh ar mhúinteoirí íosmhéid ama faoi leith a chaitheamh uirthi, rud a thugann stádas croíabhair di.
Beidh cur chuige éagsúl i gceist leis na laghduithe ama don Bhéarla agus don Ghaeilge ag brath ar phríomhtheanga na scoile (sé sin, i scoil ina bhfuil an Béarla mar phríomhtheanga na scoile nó scoil ina bhfuil an Ghaeilge mar phríomhtheanga na scoile – sa dá chás seo, is ionann an phríomhtheanga agus Teanga 1). Don chéad teanga, beidh na laghduithe seo a leanas i gceist:
- Laghdú 45 nóiméad in aghaidh na seachtaine sna ranganna naíonáin (laghdú 45 nóiméad ar an mBéarla i scoil mheán-Bhéarla agus ar an nGaeilge i scoil meán-Ghaeilge)
- Laghdú 15 nóiméad in aghaidh na seachtaine i Rang 1 agus Rang 2, agus
- Laghdú 60 nóiméad in aghaidh na seachtaine ó Rang 3 ar aghaidh, nuair a thosóidh daltaí ag foghlaim an nuatheanga iasachta mar an tríú teanga.
Ní bheidh aon athrú i gceist don dara teanga (Teanga 2) sna ranganna naíonáin, ach beidh laghdú 30 nóiméad in aghaidh na seachtaine ar fáil dá múineadh ó Rang 1 ar aghaidh. Ciallaíonn sé seo go mbeidh laghdú 30 nóiméad in aghaidh na seachtaine i gceist do mhúineadh na Gaeilge i scoileanna meán-Bhéarla, agus do mhúineadh an Bhéarla i scoileanna meán-Ghaeilge.
Sna scoileanna Gaeltachta agus scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge, de bharr gur í an Ghaeilge príomhtheanga na scoile (Teanga 1), beidh níos lú ama ar fáil do mhúineadh na Gaeilge ón tús, agus laghdú breise sna hardranganna.
Tá díomá agus imní léirithe ag eagraíochtaí in earnáil na Gaeilge, Conradh na Gaeilge agus Gaeloideachas ina measc, de bharr an laghdú ar an líon ama a chaithfear ar an nGaeilge. Tá siad buartha go mbeidh drochthionchar ag na sonraíochtaí teanga nua ar mhúineadh na Gaeilge sna scoileanna meán-Bhéarla ach go háirithe. Deir an Roinn Oideachais nach bhfuil aon athrú ar an tiomantas atá acu i leith na Gaeilge, agus go mbeidh deiseanna ann do mhúinteoirí an Ghaeilge a shní isteach sa churaclam nua i mbealaí eile – mar shampla mar chuid den am solúbtha.
Cuireann an curaclam nua níos mó ama solúbtha ar fáil i rith na seachtaine, is é sin, am a bheidh múinteoirí in ann a úsáid bunaithe ar an tuiscint atá acu ar céard is mó atá ag teastáil óna gcuid daltaí féin. Le linn an ama sin, beidh múinteoirí in ann díriú ar na hábhair nó na tionscadail is mó a oireann dá ndaltaí, nó ina bhfuil tacaíocht bhreise ag teastáil ó dhaltaí. Mar sin, má tá múinteoir den tuairim nach leor an líon ama atá curtha ar fáil do cheachtanna Gaeilge, nó má bhraitheann siad go mbeadh sé mar bhuntáiste dá ndaltaí níos mó ama a chaitheamh ar an nGaeilge, beidh an rogha acu cuid den am solúbtha a úsáid chun díriú uirthi.
Moltar sna sonraíochtaí go ndéanfar an Ghaeilge a úsáid go rialta i rith an lae lasmuigh de cheachtanna Gaeilge mar theanga chumarsáide agus bhainistíochta. Ina theannta sin, tá béim ar an Fhoghlaim Chomhtháite Ábhar agus Teangacha (FCÁT), bealach ina dhéantar ábhair eile a mhúineadh trí mheán na Gaeilge i scoileanna meán-Bhéarla. Tá sé seo i bhfeidhm cheana féin i roinnt scoileanna ina ndéantar an chorpoideachas a mhúineadh trí mheán na Gaeilge, agus glacann níos mó scoileanna páirt sa tionscadal seo gach bhliain. Sa chaoi sin, beidh an Ghaeilge in úsáid in ábhair eile lasmuigh den churaclam teanga féin.
Tá an-trácht sna meáin ar na sonraíochtaí teanga nua agus tabhairt isteach nuatheangacha iasachta mar an tríú teanga. Díreofar ar scileanna cumarsáide, feasacht teanga agus feasacht idirchultúrtha, agus conas scileanna, straitéisí, agus eolas a aistriú idir teangacha ionas go mbeidh bunús láidir ag páistí agus iad ag foghlaim teangacha breise. Ó Rang 3 ar aghaidh, forbróidh daltaí an tuiscint atá acu ar fheasacht teanga agus conas mar a oibríonn teangacha, ag baint úsáide as an eolas atá acu ar an mBéarla, an Ghaeilge, agus teangacha eile. Beidh ceachtanna faoi leith agus naisc le hábhair eile i gceist – mar shampla, sa rang tíreolaíochta, d’fhéadfadh an rang an brí atá le logainmneacha áitiúla a fhiosrú. Nuair a shroicheann páistí Rang 5, tosóidh siad ag foghlaim nuatheanga iasachta chomh maith le bheith ag cur lena bhfeasacht teanga de réir a chéile.
Dár ndóigh, ní ag na sonraíochtaí curaclaim nua amháin a bheidh tionchar ar mhúineadh na Gaeilge ag leibhéal na bunscoile. Is gá dul i ngleic le dúshláin eile chomh maith, ar nós córas na ndíolúintí ó staidéar na Gaeilge agus líon na ndíolúintí a bhronntar ar dhaltaí faoi láthair, an tacaíocht atá ag teastáil ó dhaltaí a bhfuil riachtanais bhreise oideachais acu chun an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim, agus an géarchéim soláthair mhúinteoirí. Tá an ghéarchéim sin níos géire fós in earnáil an oideachais lán-Ghaeilge, ina bhfuil géarghá le níos mó múinteoirí a bhfuil ar a gcumas acu múineadh trí mheán na Gaeilge.
Tá dhá pholasaithe tábhachtacha nua fós le foilsiú ag an Roinn Oideachais – is iad sin an Plean Gnímh don Ghaeilge i scoileanna Meán-Bhéarla agus an Polasaí don Oideachas Lán-Ghaeilge lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht. Cé go bhfuil cuspóirí tábhachtacha ag na sonraíochtaí teanga atá leagtha amach sa churaclam nua, go háirithe i dtaobh scileanna teanga inaistrithe, ní bheidh tuiscint iomlán againn ar a bheidh i ndán do mhúineadh na Gaeilge sna scoileanna meán-Bhéarla ná sna scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge go dtí go bhfoilseofar na polasaithe sin.
