Concern over Irish language schools

Assemblyman Sam Gardiner feels that Irish language schools “are being allowed a distinct advantage by the Ruane regime,” at the expense of “established schools” such as Lurgan College and Whitehouse Primary.

He said: “I asked the Education Minister for the pupil/teacher ratios in both Irish language medium primary schools and Irish language medium secondary schools.

“The average for all Irish langu3age medium primary schools was 16.3 pupils to one teacher but this masked some very low pupil/teacher ratios indeed.”

One primary school in Belfast was found to have a pupil/teacher ratio as low as 10.3 while several others had less than 14 pupils per teacher.

Meanwhile, the only secondary Irish language medium school in the province had just over 11 pupils per teacher and Mr Gardiner believes this is unfair: “These low pupil/teacher ratios represent what amounts to unequal treatment when compared to our controlled and maintained primary and secondary schools."

The Ulster Unionist MLA pointed out that the average figures for pupils to teachers in all controlled schools are higher than in Irish language schools.

“These ratios show an unfair distribution of expensive teacher resources between different types of school. Lower ratios in Irish language schools means that in the one resource that really matters – teachers – Irish language schools are being allowed a distinct advantage by the Ruane regime in the Department of Education.

“This is not good coming at a time when it has emerged that the Minister’s decisions are being questioned as Irish language schools are being built while established schools construction projects such as Lurgan College.”