GAELIC LEAGUE EDUCATION PROGRAMME

New Zealand Tablet, 24 July 1919, Page 39

GAELIC LEAGUE EDUCATION PROGRAMME

r; The following Education Programme drawn up by the Gaelic League was to be' submitted to a public demonstration in the Mansion House, Dublin, on April 8. Parents of the children everywhere in Ireland were asked to take it up and assist in the work of having it adopted in the schools. Should any obstacles be placed in its way the people will have to insist on its application if the language is to be saved; ' I.— Primary Schools. N.B. —By a primary school is meant (1) any national school : or (2) any other school, or part of secondary school attended by children at the primary age. *4. —ln -pure/;/ Gaelic districts —(l) All school subjects (excepting English and other foreign languages) to be taught through the medium of Irish only. (2) Irish history to be taught to all pupils. Even the infants ought to be told stories of our saints and heroes. (3) Irish music to be taught in all classes. The words of the old songs ought to be taught as poetry, and the music to which they are set ought lo bo taught in the music class. (1) Irish dancing to bo permitted as part of the drill lesson and teachers to he encouraged to teach it. — ln, semi-Gaelic districts —(1) Irish to be the official school languagei.c., roll-call, orders, prayers, etc., to be in Irish. (2) A bi-lingual programme to be in use. . After a few years, however, Irish should predominate over English in the higher classes. (3), (4), and (5) Same as (2), (3), and (4) above in .1 . (6) Foreign languages —Each, foreign tongue to be taught through the medium of that tongue or through the medium of the language best understood by the children. ('.—ln parch/ E ish-speali n a district-s —(1) Irish to be the official language, as in B. (2), (3), (4), and (5) History, music, and foreign languages, as above. (6) Irish to be taught for vernacular use lo each child for at least one hour per day. (7) In tiro pears' tune it should be feasible to commence teaching reading, writing, grammar, oral composition, kindergarten, etc., in Irish and English on alternate days in the three lower standards, and all school subjects in the other standards. (8) In fire //ears’, (u/ne. it should be feasible to have a hi,-lingual programme, in all schools, except, perhaps, in the case of infants. ll.—Secondary Schools. .1. —In purely Gaelic districts —(1) All school subjects (excepting foreign languages) to be taught through the medium of Irish only. (2) Irish history to be taught to all pupils.

I B.—ln f semi-I risk-speak > districts— (1) \ Irish! to bo the official school language. (2) The schools to „be conducted according to a bi-lingual system. (3) Irish history, as above. , - _ / G.—ln purely English-speaking districts —(l) Irish to be taught to all pupils for vernacular use. (2) The bestowal of public money on the schools to be dependent on the vernacular use of Irish by the pupils. (3) Irish history, as above. For A, B, and C. —(l) The Irish language and Irish history to be essential subjects in all examinations. (2) All examination papers to be set in both Irish and English, each pupil examined having permission to answer in whichever of the two languages he may think fit. In all language examinations, however, the use of the particular language with which the paper deals to be permitted to replace English in setting and answering questions. ' lll.University. .- (1) A spoken knowledge of Irish and a knowledge of Irish history to be essential for Matriculation. (2) Examination papers, as in (2), above. (3) After some years, each professor to have permission to use whichever language he thinks fit in giving his lectures, but the. students to bo permitted to use cither Irish, or English, as they think best, in answering questions. National Civil Service. Irish to be essential for all examinations, and “Celtic Studies” to have in all classes of Civil Service examinations a value equal to any other group of studies such as “Ancient Classics,” “Mathematical Science,” “Experimental Sciences. ”