ETBI Journal of Education - Vol 2:2 November 2020 (Irish-medium Education)

ETBI Journal of Education November 2020
European Parliament regarding the need for
member states, including Ireland, to develop
policy regarding island services.
contextual difficulties facing island schools. Since
2013, Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann and ETBI
have been demanding an integrated approach for
Education Policy on Islands from DES, and many
of the same points were repeated in a submission
from ETBI to the Department of Culture, Heritage
and Gaeltacht as part of the Inter-departmental
Public Consultation on the islands in 2020
https://gretb.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/
Aighneacht-BOO%C3%89-maidir-le-Forbairt-nanOile%C3%A1n-Feabhra-2020.pdf
The ETBI Annual Conference in 2015 and 2017
placed special emphasis on island education,
highlighting the existential threat to postprimary
education on the Islands, citing a list
of particular areas in need of urgent action
from DES (Bruton, 2017; ETBI, 2016, 2017;
GRETB 2017; Mac Pháidín, 2018; O’ Sullivan,
2015). Since then, the island communities and
their representatives have consistently raised
questions in Brussels with members of the
It is significant that various Joint Oireachtas
Committees between 2016 and 2018, including
the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and
Skills, have recognised the same challenges: the
insufficient allocation of teaching staff; access to
suitably qualified staff; inadequate school budget;
the question of enrolment and scholarships under
various schemes; disadvantage to be managed
in the schools but without DEIS status conferred
on particular post-primary island schools; no
easy access for students to psychologists, speech
therapists, mental health suppost, appropriate
guidance, facilities for physical education, as well
as many other challenges (Oireachtas Éireann,
2018). https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/
committee/dail/32/joint_committee_on_
education_and_skills/reports/2018/2018-02-27_
report-on-challenges-facing-island-schools_en.pdf
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS
DES established a high-level task force in
March 2017 to examine the challenges facing
island schools and to develop solutions in
consultation with ETBs. After the challenges
of island education were discussed at Mary
Immaculate College’s Chomhdháil Uile-Oileánda
ar an Tumoideachas (All-Island Conference on
Immersion Education) in Limerick in May 2018,
http://www.foras.ie/en/an-dara-comhdhailtaighde-uile-oileanda-ar-an-tumoideachas/
,the
Minister for Education and Skills announced
a package of supports for Ireland’s postprimary
island schools in June 2018: https://
www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-
Releases/2018-press-releases/PR18-06-17.html
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