Teacher shortages restrict A-level options in Irish-medium schools
Several Irish language schools are compelled to limit the range of A-level subjects available to pupils due to a shortage of teachers proficient in the Irish language.
Assembly members received testimony regarding this issue from Micheál Mac Giolla Ghunna, principal of Coláiste Feirste in Belfast.
"Irish medium education is not always a translation of English medium education," he told MLAs.
"It's a different way of approaching the development of skills, understanding and knowledge within the classroom."
Growth in Irish-medium education
The number of pupils attending Irish-medium schools has increased significantly over the past 25 years.
Education Minister Paul Givan has previously recognized that teachers in Irish-medium schools experience "considerable workload pressures."
To address the shortage of Irish-medium teachers, as well as those in Science and Technology, Givan has introduced a bursary scheme.
Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan has proposed a private members bill that would require the Department of Education (DE) to develop a workforce plan specifically for Irish-medium education.
MLAs on Stormont's Education Committee heard evidence from Mac Giolla Ghunna and Diarmaid Ua Bruadair, principal of Gaelcholáiste Dhoire.
The principals delivered their presentation in Irish, with simultaneous English translation provided during the hearing.
Several MLAs on the committee, including Sheehan, also contributed in Irish.
Limited A-level options
Mac Giolla Ghunna emphasized that students in Irish-medium schools should have equal access to subject-specific teachers and specialists as those in English-medium schools.
"They should have the same access to curriculum, and to qualifications," he said.
He noted that pupil numbers at Coláiste Feirste have grown substantially to over 1,000; however, the school can only offer a limited number of A-level subjects due to a shortage of specialist teachers.
"We are developing apprenticeships through the Irish language but the biggest challenge is finding specialists who can teach those qualifications at a high level," he explained.
"At present Coláiste Feirste can offer between 25 and 27 qualifications at GCSE with many non-specialists, but the A-level curriculum has been limited to 15 subjects for some years now."
By comparison, many post-primary schools offer more than 20 subjects at A-level.
Mac Giolla Ghunna also highlighted that the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), Northern Ireland's exams board, lacks sufficient Irish-speaking staff, resulting in a shortage of resources for pupils in Irish-medium education.
SEN support and wider pressures
Diarmaid Ua Bruadair informed MLAs that Gaelcholáiste Dhoire has to "twist and turn" to secure support for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
He explained that his school collaborates with English-language schools in the region to share best practices.
"In some ways, Irish-medium schools are a bit like the canary in the coal mine," he said.
"The issues that we experience very, very strongly are soon going to be experienced by the wider educational sector.
"So I'm sure that some of the issues that we are talking about today resonate with some principals in English-medium schools.
"But obviously, you know, we've been feeling that pinch for much longer."
