Up to 60 per cent of primary teachers have insufficient fluency in Irish to teach the subject properly, Gael Linn, the independent body responsible for promoting the language, has claimed.
It called for the introduction of expert Irish language teachers on a trial basis to halt the decline of Irish at primary level. It said improved teacher training at primary and second level was urgently needed to combat low levels of Irish fluency among teachers.
The comments were included in Gael Linn's document on education policy released yesterday.
Launching the document, the Minister of State for Health and Children, Ms Mary Hanafin, denied that Irish teachers did not have sufficient fluency. However, she said she would study the document.
It said Irish at Leaving Cert level should be divided into two subjects, Irish language and Irish literature.
The first option would concentrate on examining Irish as a language, while the second subject, for fluent speakers, would aim to provide a "broader knowledge and understanding of the literary and cultural wealth" of the language. It also called for a specialist Irish language officer in every third-level college.