More than four out of five primary teachers trained outside the State are now passing a compulsory Irish-language examination enabling them to continue to teach here, new figures have indicated.
According to the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), some 300 candidates sat all four parts of the Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge last March, with an average pass rate of 83 per cent overall.
Eighty-one per cent passed the aural section of the exam, while 87 per cent passed the oral exam.Pass rates in the two written papers also improved significantly, with 78 per cent passing part one, and 87 per cent paper two.
This compares with an overall pass rate of just 48 per cent when the examination was last held in October 2004, the INTO says.
Only one in three candidates passed paper one, with only 41 per cent passing paper two.
Similarly, just 51 per cent of candidates passed the aural examination during the previous round, with 65 per cent passing the oral examination.
The development was hailed yesterday by the INTO as a "vindication" of its campaign calling for for increased support for teachers who were trained outside the State to allow them learn the language.