Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Education (i) to detail what consideration has been given to the Council of Europe Committee of Experts Report on the implementation of the European Charter for Regional Minority Languages, published 19th September 2024, which recommends the development and implementation of a strategy for the recruitment of teachers in co-operation with speakers, including the training of teachers for children with special needs within the Irish medium education sector; and (ii) how does he intend to take these actions forward.
Minister of Education: I acknowledge the findings of the report, and I am aware these issues have been prevalent in the Irish-medium Education sector for some time.
Given the ongoing shortage of subject-specialist teachers, particularly in Irish-medium post-primary schools, My Department has requested that Irish-medium Initial Teacher Education course providers should consider how their Irish-medium places might be prioritised towards students who have expressed a preference to teach in Irish-medium post-primary settings within Northern Ireland.
In June 2024, officials from the Department’s Teacher Education and Professional Learning team conducted a survey of schools across Northern Ireland to assess the challenges faced in recruiting and retaining teachers. Of the 287 schools that responded, only two were Irish-medium primary schools, and no Irish-medium post-primary schools participated. The survey findings did not reveal any new insights into the sector’s challenges in securing qualified Irish-medium teachers.
To address workforce planning needs, the Education Authority, in collaboration with DE and other education partners, is hosting an Education Workforce Planning Conference on 4 December 2024. The event will engage key stakeholders in discussions about the overall needs of the education sector. It is anticipated that these discussions will include the challenges faced by the Irish-medium Education sector.
I am aware of the gaps in Special Education Needs (SEN) support services and special education provision in the Irish-medium. My Department is working with the Education Authority to identify solutions to the specific challenges faced by the sector. A working group has been established to make progress on this issue.
Furthermore, officials from my Department have engaged with Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (CnaG) and the Irishmedium Education sector through the End-to-End Review of SEN. The Review is in the closing stage and proposals have been drafted which include addressing the specific support needs of children and young people with SEN in Irish-medium Education.
Officials in my Department are in the early stages of commencing an Irish-medium Strategy, which will hope to address the concerns of this report and those of the wider sector.
ENDS
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