THE IRISH language commissioner, An Coimisinéir Teanga, Seán Ó Cuirreáin, said fluent Irish speakers were being “put at a disadvantage” by the “English-only” requirement for students sitting the undergraduate admissions assessment for medicine.
Mr Ó Cuirreáin said he had raised the issue with the five third-level institutions with medical schools, as he believes it introduces “compulsory English” to the testing system. “This is something which is as unwelcome as ‘compulsory Irish’ in a bygone era,” he said.
The HPat (Health Professions Admission Test) is used by Irish medical schools for undergraduate entry into medicine. The test, which was held over the past weekend, complements the Leaving Certificate exam in selecting applicants for undergraduate medical school programmes.
Mr Ó Cuirreáin said: “I believe it to be unfair to Gaeltacht and Irish-medium students who are encouraged to study through Irish, but are offered no option but a test in English. There are no specific statutory provisions in relation to the use of Irish. This prohibits me from dealing with the matter in an official capacity as Coimisinéir Teanga,” he said.
“However, I have expressed my concern to the appropriate ministers and presidents of the universities as well as other interested parties. The issue remains unresolved. I am particularly concerned that if fluent Irish speakers are put at a disadvantage in seeking entry into medicine, how can we guarantee that we will have Irish-speaking doctors in the future to provide service in Gaeltacht areas?”
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said the test was run by the five medical colleges, and was an issue for them.
