News
30th September 09
9/30/2009
Ulster Unionist MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Tom Elliott, has expressed concern that Irish medium schools are “costing pupils in controlled and voluntary schools in every sense”.
Preferential treatment for Irish Language schools?
Ulster Unionist MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Tom Elliott, has expressed concern that Irish medium schools are “costing pupils in controlled and voluntary schools in every sense”.
“The fact that Irish medium schools have much more favourable pupil/teacher ratios than controlled and voluntary schools is a matter of concern, both in terms of fairness and cost,” Mr Elliott said.
“While there are 14 pupils per teacher in a controlled or voluntary secondary school, the Irish medium sector’s ratio is much lower at 11 pupils per teacher. Likewise in controlled and voluntary primary schools the ratio is in the region of 20:1, while the Irish medium primary sector has just 16 pupils to one teacher. This is a significant discrepancy.
“Lower ratios are of course better for the pupils concerned, but cost substantially more. If this is the ratio that best meets educational needs, then it should be applied across the board. If not, then why are we funding a divisive, discriminatory agenda?
“Parents have a right to have their children educated in the Irish medium context, if they so wish, but this doesn’t require preferential processes. There is no reason why such needs cannot be met within Irish medium units in existing schools,” the Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA said.
“I am concerned that a minority of pupils are benefiting at a huge cost to everyone else.
“This only aggravates existing financial frustration at the sector, which reached new heights earlier this year when it was revealed that in two years the Department of Education spent almost £50,000 on English to Irish translation, ostensibly because of the need to communicate with Irish-medium primary schools.
“If the Department of Education has a legal duty to facilitate the development of Irish medium education, then surely it has a responsibility to ensure equity across the sectors.
“When efforts have been made to retain rural schools – to meet the needs of those communities – low roll numbers have been used to categorise them as ‘unviable’. Is it in fact the case that Irish-language schools are deliberately being given preferential treatment?”
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