The INTO conference in Tralee was dominated yesterday by a moving appeal from three Fermanagh sisters. Their teaching jobs are threatened unless they pass an Irish language exam with a failure rate of over 80 per cent.
"What in the name of God are we doing in this country?" asked one delegate yesterday as he spoke about the controversial Irish language test for teachers trained outside the State.
Another, Mr Noel Morgan, explained how his school in the Clondalkin area of Dublin was indebted to two Fermanagh sisters, Sinead and Venessa Feely. The school, in one of the city's most disadvantaged areas, had found it difficult to recruit and retain teachers.
With their experience, commitment and dedication, the Feely sisters had enriched the school community, he said.
Sinead, Venessa and another sister Aishlin are three of 500 teachers trained outside the State who must pass the notorious Scrúdú Cailíochta sa Ghaeilge (SCG). Without it, teachers revert to half pay or find that their contracts cannot be renewed. The exam, described as being of honours degree standard, has no set course and a failure rate of over 80 per cent.
Last year, students were asked to write on a series of essay subjects. Topics included the drift away from spiritualism towards materialism and the global terror threat.
Yesterday, the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey announced some minor changes, including a lower pass mark and a new, more structured course programme. But this has done nothing to quell the anger of those facing the test.
Yesterday, the INTO conference demanded more fundamental changes and a 10-year period to allow candidates gain the test. They did this after a series of powerful speeches from the three Feely sisters.
Ms Aishlin Feely explained how she had secured a first class B.Ed honours degree in Belfast.
"The Department has visited my classroom and posted photos of it on their website as an example of excellent classroom management. Inspectors have congratulated me of my innovative teaching strategies and delivery of the new curriculum.
"Why doesn't Mr Dempsey recognise and appreciate my skills instead of penalising me for never being given the opportunity to learn the Irish language?"
She explained how she took up employment in Dublin with some anxiety "but I was assured by the Department that the SCG would be no problem and I would receive full supports. The reality was very different. No classes, no syllabus, no support.
"I face the task of becoming a fluent Irish teacher in order to be recognised as a fully qualified teacher. It is virtually impossible. I may now have to return to the North. Four years of study, five years of enthusiastic teaching have all been for nothing."
Ms Sinead Feely read a series of e-mails from teachers faced with a similar predicament. One resource teacher working with special needs pupils explained how she would be leaving her school after four years, as there was little point in continuing to take the exam. Her school had requested that she should be allowed to stay as another teacher took Irish with her class, but the Department rejected this.
Another teacher with a range of qualifications in special education explained how she could run a training course for special needs assistants but was not recognised as a teacher in her own country.
Ms Venessa Feely said if any exam she set had a failure rate of 83 per cent, it would be urgently reviewed. "I would not simply lower the pass rate. I would take a fundamental look at it. We need a realistic and relevant exam in my case for the task of teaching seven to 12 year-olds."
