HC Deb 22 June 1899 vol 73 cc284-5
MR. FLAVIN

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that a public meeting in connection with the Oireachtas was held in the Mansion House, Dublin, on the 8th instant, at which resolutions were unanimously passed calling on the National Board of Education in Ireland, in the interests of education and common justice, to give permission for the use of bilingual reading and copying books in schools at the option of the manager in Irish speaking districts; and also that in all schools Irish may be taught as an extra subject within the ordinary school hours in the fourth, fifth, and sixth classes; whether, owing to the great revival of the Irish language, representations will be made to the National Board of Education to make such changes in their regulations as will admit of the national utilisation of the Irish language in the primary educational system of Ireland; and whether the Government will consider the proposals made in these resolutions.

MR. G. W. BALFOUR

Copies of the resolutions referred to have been received by the Commissioners of National Education. It is already provided by the Board's rule that if there are Irish speaking pupils in a school the teacher, if acquainted with the Irish language, may, whenever practicable, employ the vernacular as an aid to the elucidation and acquisition of the English language. The proposal to sanction the use of bilingual reading books and bilingual copy books in such schools, viz., where the pupils have already a knowledge of Irish, does not receive the approval of the Commissioners, nor do they consider it desirable that in all National schools Irish should be taught to the four senior classes within ordinary school hours. As regards the second and third paragraphs, the right to make such changes in the programme of instruction as may be considered necessary rests with the Commissioners themselves.

MR. FLAVIN

Has the Board any objection to Irish being taught between the hours in which other languages are taught?

MR. G. W. BALFOUR

I think my answer was quite full enough.

MR. FLAVIN

I will put another question on this.