Fine Gael and Irish!

Tá seo scriofa ar Gaeltacht21 anseo An t-aon pháirtí leis an bpolasaí!

Fine Gael is the only party with this Education policy :
"We believe that reinventing the way we teach Irish will encourage more students to study the language and engage with it beyond the school system. We believe compulsion has not fostered growth or commitment to the language. We will overhaul the curriculum at second level and we will critically examine the effect of current training methods of teachers to teach. Irish as an optional subject for Leaving Certificate will only apply following consultations on both matters."

Fine Gael is strongly committed to the development of the Irish language and the Gaeltacht regions. We recognise the value and cultural importance of our Irish tradition and heritage and we are determined to ensure the language and the Gaeltacht regions survive and prosper.


National Strategy:
We are supportive of many aspects of the twenty year strategy for the future of the Irish language and will deliver on the achievable goals and targets proposed.


Education:
Fine Gael supports the continued development of Gaelscoileanna and recognises the significant role the Gaelscoil movement has played in reviving the Irish language within and outside Gaeltacht areas. We will also work with Coláisí Samhraidh to attract greater numbers to the Gaeltacht.

We are committed to overhauling the way in which Irish is taught at primary and second levels of education, to ensure teachers are equipped with the right tools to instil a love of the language for all students and the curriculum is designed to inspire students to continue speaking the language after leaving school.

We believe that reinventing the way we teach Irish will encourage more students to study the language and engage with it beyond the school system. We believe compulsion has not fostered growth or commitment to the language. We will overhaul the curriculum at second level and we will critically examine the effect of current training methods of teachers to teach. Irish as an optional subject for Leaving Certificate will only apply following consultations on both matters.

We will allocate 50% of marks to oral Irish exams.

A study on a double curriculum to Leaving Cert will be investigated, one on the current system and a second in communicating Irish. The questions of extra points for third level entry will be investigated.

Fine Gael will double the proportion of Irish students sitting the Higher Level Leaving Certificate exam by 2018.


Job Creation in Gaeltacht Regions: 
Our NewERA and Working for Our Future plans will deliver new job creation prospects to Gaeltacht regions. We will invest in energy, broadband and water infrastructure, creating the modern infrastructure needed to attract and support new businesses and jobs. We will also strongly support the potential for jobs in tourism and marine activities.

National Proficiency Scale:
We will investigate the development of a national proficiency scale for the Irish language. This ten point scale would allow every citizen to have their competence assessed and use modern teaching methods and modern technology to gradually improve their proficiency at a pace that suits themselves.

Islands:
We are committed to sustaining communities on the islands and will work to improve access to vital services for the islands so that island communities have appropriate access to health care and other social services.


Official Languages Act:
Fine Gael will review the obligations under the Official Languages Act to ensure expenditure on the language is best targeted towards the development of the language.