MAYNOOTH - 23 November 2007 - 320 words
Irish Bishops urged to promote English language teaching in schools
An Australian educationalist has urged the Irish bishops to re-examine their policy on teaching English in schools, in light of the recent wave of immigration to Ireland.
Speaking at a three-day conference on migration hosted by the Irish Bishops' Commission for Emigrants, Professor Desmond Cahill, from RMIT University in Melbourne said that that education and language are central to the integration challenge facing Ireland and that even generous financial resources are no substitute for well-informed policy in this area.
Referring to the fact that there is currently no recognised degree-level course in Ireland for teaching English as a second language, Professor Cahill pointed out that: "the teaching of English as a second language to schoolchildren is a highly specialised skill. Teachers in Ireland need not only support regarding this challenge but they all require specialist training. All this is necessary if we are to ensure that the quality of learning in classrooms - for both established and newly arrived pupils - is not adversely affected."
Professor Cahill explained that the system in Australia bases its approach on an "early and often" model of intervention and it recognises that, for xample: "there is a seismic difference in language education needs between those children who are newly arrived in a host country and those who have been here for a longer time, probably having been born here. One of the successful initiatives in Australia has been the establishment of full-time exclusive English language teaching centres, which newly-arrived children attend for 6-12 months before entering the mainstream education system."
He added that there was also the necessity
of having teacher aides, called multicultural teaching aides in
Australia, who speak the language of the community to liaise with
the parents about issues that arise as well as instructing them
in the local schooling system and its various pedagogical practices,
and being available to assist the children as they struggle with
learning English. He concluded by telling delegates that this
is a long term problem and that, while Ireland must find its own
way, it should draw on the experience of other countries like
Australia and Canada.
While in Ireland, Professor Cahill has met with members of the
Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference and representatives from schools
in the Dublin 15 area, a community that has already had first-hand
experience of the many integration issues in education.
Source: Irish Catholic Media Office
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