Ruane in new schools wrangle

Education

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Editor: Martin Lindsay

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

By Kathryn Torney

Education Minister Caitriona Ruane was today embroiled in a new controversy as it emerged that a vital strategy to improve the dire reading and maths standards of young people leaving school will be delayed by up to two months - because it has to be translated into Irish.

The Department of Education has confirmed to the Belfast Telegraph that the important Literacy and Numeracy Strategy will now "probably" be issued for consultation in June - just as schools are preparing to close for their long summer break.

The strategy is currently being finalised and will soon be completed, but parents, educationalists and other members of the public cannot have sight of the document until translators create an Irish version. The consultation is expected to run until October.

The drive to improve literacy and numeracy standards here has already faced serious delay. The department's Literacy and Numeracy Taskforce was only established in February of this year £ almost a year behind schedule.

Last year, the Chief Inspector of Schools in Northern Ireland, Marion Matchett, said that too many young people are leaving school after 12 years with inadequate essential skills. Another shocking fact is that a quarter of the population does not have basic literacy and numeracy skills.

The decision to create the taskforce was revealed by the Government in an official response to severe criticism from MPs. Ruane in literacy translation wrangle

A report by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in December 2006 castigated the department over faltering efforts to improve reading and writing skills among pupils. The MPs voiced particular concern over the underperformance of Protestant children in deprived parts of Belfast.

The PAC said a strategy on numeracy and literacy launched in 1998 had failed to narrow the "long standing gap" between the best and lowest achievers, despite the expenditure of £40m. And the committee alleged that a flawed Government approach "appears to set up a significant number of children for failure".

DUP education spokesman Sammy Wilson, who is also chair of the Assembly's education committee, said: "This means that schools will be expected to read and respond to the consultation when they come back to school in September £ all because the Minister wants it translated into Irish.

"She may think she is making a point but it is an expensive one. I am led to believe it could cost up to 24p per word to translate.

"I have been told by education board officers that there is not one Irish-medium school or board of governors that conducts its business in Irish. Not all parents of children at Irish-medium schools speak Irish.

The Belfast Telegraph contacted Sir Robert Salisbury, chair of the department's Literacy and Numeracy Taskforce. He said: "The sooner the strategy goes out for public consultation the better. We need to keep the momentum going."

A spokesman for the Department of Education said: "The department is in the process of finalising the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. When this is done it will be translated into Irish and then issued for consultation, probably in June. The consultation period will run until October, which will ensure all interested parties or individuals will have an opportunity to comment on the content."

There are no translation facilities within the department so this is normally arranged through the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure, which uses external translators.

Sinn Fein Fermanagh/South Tyrone MLA and Irish speaker Barry McElduff said that he supported Caitriona Ruane's plan to translate the document into Irish.

" I regret that Irish language speakers are always placed in a defensive position when it comes to the promotion of the Irish Language," he said.