Original Podcast with clickable words
https://tinyurl.com/23wftbjz
Contact: [email protected]
Synge Street Irish Medium School to be established as planned last year.
Gaelcholáiste Shráid Synge le bunú mar a beartaíodh anuraidh.
It is not good enough that a plan to turn a secondary school in Dublin into an all-Irish school is being progressed without consulting the school’s teachers, says the teachers’ union.
Níl sé maith go leor go bhfuiltear ag dul chun cinn le plean scoil lán-Ghaeilge a dhéanamh de mheánscoil i mBaile Átha Cliath gan dul i gcomhairle le múinteoirí na scoile, a deir ceardchumann na múinteoirí.
The Department of Education announced last autumn that the Christian Brothers School on Synge Street in the south of the city was to be converted into a Gaelcholáiste and would open at the start of the 2026 school year.
D’fhógair an Roinn Oideachais an fómhar seo caite go rabhthas le Gaelcholáiste a dhéanamh de Scoil na mBráithre Críostaí ar Shráid Synge i ndeisceart na cathrach agus go n- osclófaí é ag tús na scoilbhliana 2026.
The teachers indicated at the time, however, that the news came to them from the north and that the issue was never discussed with them.
Thug na múinteoirí le fios ag an am, áfach, gur tháinig an scéala aniar aduaidh orthusan agus nár pléadh an cheist riamh leo.
Some said they were worried that they would have to significantly improve their Irish, learn Irish from scratch or look for a new job at another school.
Dúirt roinnt acu go raibh imní orthu go gcaithfidís feabhas mór a chur ar a gcuid Gaeilge, Gaeilge a fhoghlaim ón mbuntús nó post nua a lorg i scoil eile.
The matter was discussed in a meeting held by the school administrators, Éamainn Rís Schools Trust, with the school’s board of management last night.
Pléadh an scéal i gcruinniú a bhí ag riarthóirí na scoile, Iontaobhas Scoileanna Éamainn Rís, le bord bainistíochta na scoile arú aréir.
In a statement issued by the Trust after the meeting, it was confirmed that the plan was to proceed, apart from the occasional minor change, and it was accepted that the teachers had been put at a disadvantage because they had not been consulted beforehand.
I ráiteas a d’eisigh an tIontaobhas i ndiaidh an chruinnithe, deimhníodh go rabhthas le dul chun cinn leis an bplean, seachas an corrathrú beag, agus glacadh leis gur cuireadh olc ar na múinteoirí mar nach ndeachthas i gcomhairle leo roimhe seo.
It was stated that the school would gradually become a Gaelcholáiste and that it was intended to teach some students through the medium of English at the outset.
Dúradh gur de réir a chéile a dhéanfaí Gaelcholáiste den scoil agus go raibh sé i gceist roinnt daltaí a theagasc trí mheán an Bhéarla i gcónaí ag an tús.
Speaking on RTÉ this morning, however, Deputy General Secretary of the Secondary Teachers’ Association, Diarmaid de Paor, said that teachers are still blind to what the Department of Education and school administrators are planning.
Agus é ag labhairt ar RTÉ ar maidin inniu, áfach, dúirt Leas- Ardrúnaí Chumann na Meánmhúinteoirí, Diarmaid de Paor, go bhfuil na múinteoirí dall i gcónaí ar a bhfuil á bheartú ag an Roinn Oideachais agus ag riarthóirí na scoile.
Not to mention the teachers, the parents are not being consulted either, said the Power.
Gan trácht ar na múinteoirí, níltear ag dul i gcomhairle leis na tuismitheoirí ach an oiread, arsa an Paorach.
He believes that the plan should be revisited and implemented properly anew.
Dar leis gur cheart dul siar ar an bplean agus a chur sa siúl i gceart as an nua.
He also indicated that he doubts that Synge Street is the best location for a new Irish-medium school – as it is being envisioned by the Department of Education anyway, he said.
Thug sé le fios freisin go bhfuil amhras air gurb é Sráid Synge an t-ionad is fearr le haghaidh Gaelcholáiste nua – de réir mar atá sé á shamhlú ag an Roinn Oideachais ar aon chuma, arsa sé.
The Power believes that an all-Irish secondary school in that location would not be able to meet the needs of 400 students.
Creideann an Paorach nach mbeadh meánscoil lán-Ghaeilge san áit sin in acmhainn freastal ar riachtanais 400 dalta.
In contrast, parents from five Gaelscoils in the area believe that there is a need and a great need for a new Gaelcholáiste in this part of south Dublin.
Ina aghaidh sin, creideann tuismitheoirí ó chúig Ghaelscoil sa cheantar go bhfuil gá agus an-ghá le Gaelcholáiste nua sa chuid de sin de dheisceart Bhaile Átha Cliath.
The parents believe that their children have the right to complete their schooling through the medium of Irish.
Creideann na tuismitheoirí go bhfuil de cheart ag a gclann a gcuid scolaíochta a thabhairt chun críche trí mheán na Gaeilge.
RTÉ News and Current Affairs Christian Brothers School, Synge Street
Nuacht agus Cúrsaí Reatha RTÉ Scoil na mBráithre Críostaí, Sráid Synge
