A chara, - Elaine Bonner (March 19th) makes some interesting comments about the Irish qualification required by teachers who have trained outside the Republic. She is right to be critical of the INTO, which seems to prefer the easy option of abolishing any Irish requirement and allowing teachers with no Irish qualification to teach in our primary classrooms.
However, no teacher should be discriminated against, financially or otherwise, for not having the Irish qualification. These teachers should receive their annual increments and be on the same scale as other teachers. They should be given three years to reach an acceptable standard of Irish, agreed between the INTO and the Department of Education; there are many good courses and agencies available throughout the Gaeltacht to facilitate this. Teachers in this situation should be given tax credits for any expenditure incurred in attaining this qualification. This should, of course, be subject to the condition that schools arrange for proper Irish language teaching for the pupils of those teachers.
Ms Bonner and other teachers in similar situations cannot ignore the fact that teachers trained in Irish training colleges have followed a comprehensive Irish programme during their years of training. This extra study and the associated qualifications must be balanced against the fact that teachers who have trained abroad have not studied a similar syllabus.
Many teachers who have trained abroad have studied Irish with Oideas Gael and I can agree totally with Ms Bonner that their commitment to Irish and their enthusiasm for it is on par with any teacher trained in Ireland.
The INTO and the Department of Education should co-operate to find a reasonable formula that will satisfy the curricular needs of Irish children, while at the same time recognising the fact that all teachers, whether qualified in this State or elsewhere, are entitled to similar rates of pay. - Is mise,
Liam O Cuinneagain,
Stiurthoir,
Oideas Gael,
Gleann Cholm Cille,
Co Dhun na nGall.