Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaíochta - The Trust Fund for Irish Medium Education

What is Gaelscolaíocht Éireann?

Gaelscolaíocht Éireann (GSÉ) is a new project established in August 2006, with funding from the European Union to improve cross-border public sector cooperation and service delivery in the targeted areas of the six border counties and the six counties in the north of Ireland. GSÉ recognises the different policy contexts of Irish-Medium Education on both sides of the border.

This project seeks to bring the key representative bodies with responsibilities for the Trust Fund for Irish-Medium Education together to:

inform and exchange information on policy and practice through a number of briefings and study visits.
encourage the development of good models of strategic service delivery by learning from each other and engaging with experts from other counties involved in similar processes, particularly Wales and Scotland.
enhance local service delivery by engaging regional and local stakeholders in the process.

What is the structure of Gaelscolaíocht Éireann?

The project received funding under the Special European Union Programming Body (SEUBP) Measure 5.2 Improving Cross-Border Public Sector Cooperation. It will function as a cross-border Steering Committee with representatives from the key organisations with responsibilities for the Trust Fund for Irish-Medium Education. It will also convene a cross-border Forum for all organisations involved with the Trust Fund for Irish-Medium Education to encourage greater cross-border exchange of information and on models of good practice.

The priority areas of work for the Steering Committee are to focus on exploring the benefits of developing joint projects at departmental level, identifying and disseminating examples of good practice around the country, and finding new methods of attracting additional resources into the sector.

Who’s who?

The Steering Committee will have representatives from Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta/The Council for the Trust Fund for Irish-Medium Education (lead partner), Gaelscoileanna (lead partner), Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaíochta/the Trust Fund for Irish-Medium Education (lead partner), Forbairt Naionraí Teo/Preschool Development, Foras na Gaeilge/The all-Ireland Language Body, the Department of Education (DENI) and the Department of Education and Science.

Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta /The Council for the Trust Fund for Irish-Medium Education (www.comhairle.org) was established in 2000 by the Department of Education (NI) following from commitments made under the Good Friday Agreement to promote the Irish language and Irish-Medium Education. It is located in Belfast and its remit is to serve the six counties of the north of Ireland. Its aims are to:

promote Irish-Medium Education;
plan for new schools;
promote good practice in schools;
represent the sector and promote advice,
information and assistance to groups setting
up schools and units.

Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaíochta/the Trust Fund for Irish-Medium Education
(www.iontaobhasnag.com) was established in 2001 by the Department of Education (NI) following from commitments made under the Good Friday Agreement to promote the Irish language and Irish-Medium Education. Its remit is to provide financial and technical support to the Trust Fund for Irish-Medium Education development and projects not eligible for mainstream government funding. It works in tandem with Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta in seeking to implement the Development Plan for the sector.

Gaelscoileanna (www.gaelscoileanna.ie) was established in 1973 out of the committees for the Trust Fund for Irish-Medium Education schools. Since 1978 it is fully supported by government funding. It is located in Dublin but its remit it to service the twenty-six counties of the Republic of Ireland. Its aims are to:

provide information, help, support and advice to parents who wish to establish Irish-medium schools or to develop a school as an Irish-medium school;
act as an intermediary between Irish-medium schools and the Department of Education;
liase with the Department in matters relating to Irish-Medium education, for example planning, new schools, the panel, conditions for recognition etc. and, to provide in-service training for staff and training for Boards of Management on a range of issues.

The other key organisations in relation to the delivery of the Trust Fund for Irish-Medium Education are:

Forbairt Naionraí Teo (www.naionraí.ie) is an all-Ireland voluntary organisation which supports the promotion of education and care services in Irish for children from birth. Established in 2003 it is governed by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Childcare Act 1991 and the Childcare Regulations (Pre-School Services) 1996. The following groups are represented on the Board of Directors: Altram, Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta, Foras na Gaeilge, Gaeloiliúint, Na Naíonraí Gaelacha and Údarás na Gaeltachta. Forbairt Naíonraí Teo., is grant aided by Foras na Gaeilge and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. It provides support to establish, develop and administer the following services through Irish: naíolanna, naíonraí, after school services, summer camps and parent/guardian and toddler groups. Advice and assistance is available to individuals or groups wishing to use Irish with children.

Foras na Gaeilge (www.forasnagaeilge.ie) was established in 1999 and it is the body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the whole island of Ireland.

It functions to:

promote the Irish language facilitate and encourage its use in speech and writing in public and private life in the South and, in the context of Part III of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, in Northern
Ireland where there is appropriate demand;
advise both administrations, public bodies and other groups in the private and voluntary sectors;
undertake supportive projects, and grant-aiding bodies and groups as considered necessary;
undertake research, promotional campaigns, and public and media relations;
develop terminology and dictionaries;
support Irish-Medium Education and the teaching of Irish.

The background to the Gaelscolaíocht Éireann project.

As of September 2006 there were over 400 schools providing education and early years learning to 34,500 children, outside of the Gaeltacht areas. This project will be carried out in the context of projected new school developments in the border areas and six counties. In the north of Ireland it is planned to open 21 naíscoil, 5 bunscoil and 3 meánscoil in the period 2006-2009.

The draft Corporate Plan of Gaelscoileanna for the Republic of Ireland has identified the need to plan for an additional 18 naíscoil, 13 bunscoil and 6 meánscoil in the six border counties.

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EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation