An agency set up by the Department of Education today put forward the proposal that english should not be taught in any shape or form to junior infants in Gaelscoileanna across the country. According to the COGG (An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaiochta/ Committee for Education in Gaelscoileanna and the Gaeltacht), “When English is introduced at the commencement of schooling . . . the child understands that the teacher knows English and so there is no necessity to learn Irish or at least there is no great urgency to do so”.
Minister for Education Mary Hanafin is said to be assessing the legality of the proposal but already recommends that children in Gaelscoileanna spend at least a half an hour learning a second language per day.
While I wouldn’t suggest that this idea is in any way as ridiculous as FG’s notion that making Irish a choice subject for the leaving cert so as to have the reverse effect of actually promoting it, I simply don’t think that the COGG’s idea is a good one. Promoting the Irish language in schools should not be synonymous with neglecting the English language. We do not need to go to such extreme lengths to preserve an Ghaeilge- it does not have to be all or nothing. Primary school plays a vital role in moulding the mind of a child, and a primary school teacher can have an enormous affect on the path a child will take in the future. I developed my love and flair for both Irish and English at primary school thanks to a succession of teachers who both loved the language and placed an equal weight of importance on both. English should not be neglected in Gaelscoileanna just as Irish shouldn’t be neglected in English speaking schools.
