Sir, - What an unfair and unbalanced picture is painted by Colman O Raghallaigh in your letters column on August 8th. His attack on Niamh Breathnach over her approach to gaelscoileanna is totally unjustified.
In fact, no Minister for Education has done more for all Irish speaking schools. In the previous week alone, she recognised six new Gaelscoileanna, bringing the total to 92. When she came into office, there were about 60. In other words, the number of Gaelscoileanna recognised by the State has increased by roughly a third under one Minister for Education.
In recognising any new school (Gaelscoil or otherwise) a Minister for Education must be satisfied that the project has some chance of viability. The Minister also has to be satisfied, in the interests of the whole community, that the establishment of one school won't undermine needlessly the viability of its nearest neighbours. At a time when primary school enrolments are falling, it makes no sense to build new schools when nearby ones have empty classrooms.
The Department of Education pays the full cost of site and buildings for Gaelscoileanna all other primary schools have to provide the site and contribute 15 per cent of the building cost. All Gaelscoileanna receive a grant of £65 per pupil compared to £45 in other primary schools; and enhanced annual capitation grants are available. Teachers in Gaelscoileanna are paid special additional allowance.
For all these reasons, it would be irresponsible if the Minister for Education were to fail to assess proposals for new Gaelscoileanna carefully, with a view to ensuring that they will thrive in the longer term. There are recognised criteria for that purpose, and one of them is that there should be an enrolment potential of 20 junior infants. I understand that, contrary to Colman O Raghallaigh's assertions, one of the schools not recognised this year has seven pupils enrolled.
The future of our language will not be served by establishing schools that have no realistic chance of survival. But Niamh Breathnach has demonstrated her commitment to a viable Gaelscoil movement in a variety of different ways. She has already said that "the door remains open" for projects that didn't make it this year, and her officials have been instructed to provide whatever assistance they can to the promoters of the unsuccessful projects to see if it is possible for them to meet the criteria for a viable school.
Given that background, I would expect that a more balanced picture might be presented in The Irish Times of what is in fact a systematic and exciting approach to promoting the living language in a viable way. - Yours, etc.,
Political Director,
The Labour Party 7 Ely Place,
Dublin 2.