One teacher tells her story
Janet Doherty has been learning Irish for 13 years. She has paid for weekly grinds since starting work in St Patrick's National School in Donegal in 1997 and has taught Irish to her pupils for six years.
The mother of three is a fully qualified primary school teacher with over a decade's experience. Despite this impeccable pedigree, she has lost her job at St Patrick's as a result of a three per cent shortfall in one section of the Department of Education's Irish test for teachers, the Scrúdú Cáilaíochta sa Ghaeilge.
Doherty, who is seven months pregnant, has taken the SCG several times since taking up her position at St Patrick's. She did her teacher training in Birmingham and as a result can only teach in the National School system for five years without passing the SCG.
Doherty's five-year stint ended last year and she obtained a further 12-month extension which allowed her to sit the SCG yet again. She passed the oral, Paper I, and the infamous Paper II, with its 50 per cent failure rate. She also spent time in the Gaeltacht, as required by the Department. However, she failed the aural component of the SCG by three per cent, and was told that her that her job would be advertised in the local newspaper.
Doherty is baffled by the way this issue has been handled.
Despite being seven months pregnant, Doherty has applied to sit the SCG again at the end of this month in a last ditch attempt to save her job.
She says people in her community are outraged.
"The parents and children from St Patrick's are furious at what has happened to me. Parents have petitioned the Department and the union on my behalf. I have taught Irish in St Patrick's for six years with no problems and no complaints."
Janet is the first person to lose a position as a results of failing to pass this exam; but at least 200 other teachers are at risk.
She is determined not to be beaten by the SCG and says she will keep on taking the exam until she passes it. "I will not walk away from this. I have worked too hard to learn this language."
