More than 200 delegates attending the annual education conference of Gaelscoileanna Teoranta have signed letters of petition to the Minister for Education urging her to carry out a full research programme before implemented changes to the early immersion education system at all-Irish schools.
In Limerick yesterday at the opening of the two-day agm, Gaelscoileanna Teo president Mícheál Ó Broin said nobody could speak with authority on the issue of immersion education until proper research was carried out.
Earlier this week the Gaelscoileanna launched a campaign fighting against the decision by Minister Mary Hanafin to end the practice of early immersion education in Irish-medium schools beyond the start of the second term of junior infants.
The ban will start to take effect in some schools next January unless the Department of Education's circular is withdrawn, according to Ó'Broin.
The department is looking for a minimum of 2½ hours of English a week to be taught in the first year at all-Irish schools (partial immersion), while the Gaelscoileanna are seeking total early immersion in the first year.
"Nobody can really speak with authority on this issue before proper research is carried out. Then people will know what they are buying into."
According to Mr Ó Broin, a recent study of English reading results in second and fifth classes in 70 per cent of Gaelscoileanna revealed that standards of English were higher than the national average.
In the letter of petition to the Minister, the Gaelscoileanna have called for schools teaching through Irish to have the right to choose which model best suits their circumstances.
The world's leading expert on immersion education, Prof Richard Johnstone from the University of Sterling in Scotland, delivered the keynote address at yesterday's conference.
He said research carried out in Canada found that children living in an English-speaking part of the country but educated through French did not lose out compared to those educated through English.
Gearóid Ó Conluain, deputy chief inspector at the department, officially opened the conference, the theme of which is "Strengthening Irish-medium schooling".
