A report published today in the North has called for all-island co-operation in the teaching of Irish and closer ties between Gaelic-speaking schools in Ireland and Scotland.
All-island co-operation in education would also help achieve greater economies of scale and help cut the cost of staff, according to a dossier prepared for Northern Ireland Minister for Education Caitríona Ruane.
Her paper said: “The issues faced in Scotland and Wales are often similar to those faced here, and much could be gained through pooling of information and resources.
“In particular, the linguistic similarities between Scottish and Irish Gaelic could provide fertile ground for mutual benefits, for example in sharing pedagogy and learning resources.”
Ms Ruane has begun her consultation on the review of Irish teaching.
The review, done by an independent board, added: “The beneficial outcomes of all-Ireland cooperation can flow in both directions, and they are likely to be limited only by the ingenuity of the sectors in the various areas.
“In many instances the small size of the Irish-medium sector mean that economies of scale cannot be harnessed.
“Taking account of all the demands for Irish-medium resources, including human resources, across the island of Ireland would go a long way to addressing this difficulty.”
Sinn Féin Assembly member Ms Ruane has been a keen proponent of Irish, but lack of progress on a language act has been linked to the DUP/Sinn Féin impasse preventing the ministerial Executive from meeting.
PA