Sir, - On August 21st the Minister for Education announced that she was now agreeing to recognise three new all-Irish schools which she had refused to sanction three weeks previously. Schools which her department's collective a.wisdom deemed "unviable" three weeks before are now (due, no doubt to "altered facts") considered viable.
Readers of the "Gaelscoileanna" editorial in your paper on August 16th could be forgiven for hailing the Minister's announcement as yet another indication of her "flexibility" in dealing with all-Irish schools. That editorial re-echoed not only the type of one sided and pro-Minister, "more balanced" view demanded by the political director of the Labour Party, Fergus Finlay, in his letter which appeared in The Irish Times one day before the publication of your editorial. It also rehashed most of the points and statistics (one of which was, as pointed out by Patrick Stephens on the very next day, mathematically incorrect) contained in Mr Finlay's non-partisan epistle to the con-believing Gaels.
Niamh Bhreathnach has indeed given formal recognition to more than 30 new all-Irish primary schools in the last four years. It is also true that neither she nor her department did anything to encourage, plan or bring about their establishment. The credit is due to the pupils, parents and supporters. The Minister simply implemented the rule, laid down and in force since the summer of 1987, that recognition shall be given to a new gaelscoil provided that it had enrolled 20 or more pupils who had riot attended any other school.
It was on July 30th of this year that Niamh Bhreathnach exercised her much-vaunted flexibility. She changed the rule: those 20 (or more) pupils must now all enrol in a single year. That rule change has condemned the parents and pupils of three schools founded last year and which would, were there no change in the rules, have qualified for recognition this month, to another year at least of fundraising to pay for the salaries of their expanding staff of teachers.
She exercised even more "flexibility" on August 21st when she refused to sanction Gaelscoil Ui Fhiaich in Maynooth, even though it has enrolled more than the required 20 pupils who had not attended school before. I can only respectfully suggest to your editorial writer that the Minister's policy does not reflect a "privileged position" or "special (positive) treatment for gaelscoileanna. A policy of discrimination is being implemented but it is certainly not, as your writer contends, "positive" and "active" discrimination in favour of new all-Irish schools.
I would also kindly suggest to Fergus Finlay that he arrange and attend a meeting between the Minister for Education and the parents of the gaelscoileanna in Ballybrack, Clones, Enniscorthy and Maynooth to see whether they agree with his "more balanced picture" of the situation i.e. that Niamh Bhreathnach, by refusing to recognise their schools, has adopted "a systematic and exciting approach to promoting" Irish.
Is mise, le meas,
Ard-Runai, Conradh na Gaeilge, 6 Sraid Fhearchair, Baile Atha Cliath 2.