The rule where a maximum of two language support teachers are allocated to schools with international students for two years only will no longer apply, Minister for Education Mary Hanafin has announced.
She told the Dáil she had indicated this at a conference of primary school principals and "we are fortunate to be able to do this due to the number of extra teachers who will go into the system".
There are some 28,000 pupils in the school system whose first language is not English or Irish and there would be 1,450 language teachers in place this year, compared to just 262 posts in the 2001-2002 school year, she said. A further 350 posts would be in place over the next two years.
Fine Gael's education spokeswoman Olywyn Enright said that while the Minister had spoken of ending this rule, "she has not given a clear commitment as to whether she will change the rules she outlined in terms of the allocation of teachers".
Ms Hanafin said she had indicated that the two-year and two-teacher rule would no longer apply. "Schools with large numbers of such pupils have already broken the two-teacher rule and have three teachers. That shows our bona fides in that regard."
She said that a language assessment kit is to be sent to every school to assess the language capacity of each child whose first language is not English.
She said the assessment kit being devised by Integrate Ireland Language and Training Ltd would be sent to schools, along with information packs for both schools and parents.
"The important element is training for teachers. In the primary school, each teacher is fully qualified to teach and obviously has the skills and methodologies, which go with that. Most of these children are in primary schools and it is important teachers have the methodology to teach not only English but basic literacy."
Ms Enright however, expressed concern about the use of kits and said it was a "one size fits all" approach. She said teachers were qualified to teach English-speaking students and "a different degree of training is needed to teach students whose first language is not English".
The Minister said the language and training company devising the assessment kit had had also provided teacher training, held seminars for language-support teachers and provided classroom materials, along with providing grants for language tuition for refugees.
