Extra points for Irish = educational apartheid
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Tuesday December 23, 2008 11:22
by JayC
Muireann Ni Mhorain, head of An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta & Gaelscolaíochta, attempts to justify extra points for those taking exams in Irish in the Leaving Cert.
A recent columnists piece, in the Irish Times, described the practice of giving bonus points in various subjects to those sitting exams through Irish as "educational apartheid". Effectively, it seems that displaying the same knowledge of a given subject as Gaeilge attracts more points than someone doing the exact same through English.
By extension, someone showing an inferior knowledge of a particular subject (through Irish) will be marked above someone has a superior knowledge of the same subject - by a margin of 3 to 10 per cent. Most reasonable people would concede that this is unfair, and distorts results and college placings.
Muireann Ni Mhorain, head of An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta & Gaelscolaíochta attempts to justify the practice at the link below.
Taken from the Gombeen Nation blog, with acknowledgment to the Irish Times.
Comments (3 of 3)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3Here's a link to Muireann Ni Mhorains response to Kate Holmquists article.
Also some details from someone who recently sat the Leaving Cert through Irish: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2008/1212/1....html
A few points to help the language after centuries of linguicide are a good thing. I am from America and I am struggling to learn Gaelic because, as anyone knows, language is the first (or was it last) defense of a culture. I'm hardly Irish (meistens Deutscher) I am going to go so far soon as to do all my publications and software As Gaeilge. Speaking the language of imperialist oppressors debases a person and his family. The language will need our help to survive. Sure, the "language apartheid" argument has merit. It is unfair. But so are reparations. That's the point. I would imagine the debate would be similar to affirmative action. Of course, I really don't know anything, but I would like to learn, hopefully, as Gaeilge. Language is so critical to thought (I believe in something along the lines of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapir-Whorf_hypothesis ). It is for this reason that I am studying Gaelic. To those who are interested, I am planning on scanning in free etexts of hundreds of books written in Irish. In fact I should move on this particular project. If you can help me with this in some way, please email me at andrewdo+irish@frdcsa.org . Thanks.
Given that students being taught through Irish schools are at a disadvantage at second level in that a lot of books are not available in Irish the points are fair. When all the subjects have books in Irish the extra points should be gotten rid of. But not until then...
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