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A shortage of Irish-speaking teachers is forcing some Irish-medium schools to restrict the range of A-level subjects available to their students. This challenge was highlighted to members of the Assembly by Micheál Mac Giolla Ghunna, principal of Coláiste Feirste in Belfast. Speaking to MLAs, he emphasized that Irish-medium education is not simply a direct translation of English-medium instruction but involves a distinct approach to cultivating skills and knowledge within the classroom.
Growth in Irish-medium education has been significant, leading to increased demand for qualified teachers, especially those who can teach through the Irish language. To address this, a bursary scheme has been introduced to encourage more educators to work in Irish-medium and STEM subjects. Additionally, Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan has put forward a private members’ bill that would require the Department of Education to develop a workforce plan specifically targeting the needs of Irish-medium education. During a session of Stormont’s Education Committee, principals including Mac Giolla Ghunna and Diarmaid Ua Bruadair of Gaelcholáiste Dhoire presented evidence in Irish, with translators providing simultaneous English interpretation. Some MLAs, including Pat Sheehan, also contributed in Irish.
Mac Giolla Ghunna made it clear that students attending Irish-medium schools deserve equal access to specialist teachers and curriculum options as their English-medium peers. Although enrolment at Coláiste Feirste has increased to over 1,000 pupils, the school is still limited to offering only around 15 A-level subjects, compared to over 20 in many other post-primary schools. The principal pointed out that while the school offers up to 27 GCSE qualifications with the help of non-specialist staff, recruiting teachers able to deliver high-level specialist courses in Irish remains a major obstacle. He also highlighted problems due to the lack of Irish-speaking staff at the Northern Ireland exams board (CCEA), which impacts the availability of resources in Irish.
Meanwhile, Diarmaid Ua Bruadair shared insights into the difficulties Gaelcholáiste Dhoire encounters in securing adequate support for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN). He described the school’s necessity to “twist and turn” to gain appropriate SEN provisions and noted collaborative efforts with English-language schools to exchange best practices. Ua Bruadair further remarked that Irish-medium schools often act as an early indicator of broader issues facing the education sector. According to him, these challenges that Irish-medium schools grapple with intensively will eventually affect English-medium schools as well, although the latter have so far been somewhat shielded from such pressures
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