Latest news with #Gaelcholáiste
Irish Times
09-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Synge Street CBS teachers may take industrial action over Gaelcholáiste plan
Teachers at Synge Street CBS say they may be forced to take industrial action if the school's patron continues its 'zero consultation' approach to plans to turn the 160-year-old Dublin school into a Gaelcholáiste . However, the Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST) – which oversees the school and owns the property – has pledged to press ahead with plans to begin enrolling and teaching students through Irish from September 2026 onwards. It said Synge Street CBS was experiencing 'serious sustainability challenges' due to declining enrolment and, as a result, would face the redeployment of a significant proportion of its staff over the coming years – further undermining enrolment. The trust said this was the context that informed Synge Street CBS's board of management's request at the end of May last year for a change of status to a coeducational Gaelcholáiste. READ MORE At a lunchtime protest outside the school on Thursday, Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) president Donal Cremin said students, parents and teachers 'continue to be ignored, bypassed and disregarded'. 'This is despite the fact that earlier this year the school board of management declared its opposition to the ERST changes being introduced in 2026 .' Mr Cremin said: 'ASTI teachers at the school continue to call for a pause in this unilaterally imposed decision, to allow for consultation with staff, parents and students.' He said a pause for a year would allow teachers' 'legitimate concerns to be addressed, for alternatives to be explored, and for a full consideration of what is best for the current school community as well for those who are seeking a Gaelcholáiste in the area'. ASTI members at a lunchtime protest outside the school. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw However, the ERST said that under the articles of management for Catholic secondary schools, the board of Synge Street CBS is responsible for 'the conduct, management and financial administration of the school'. As such, the trust said it was the board, as the staff's employer, that had responsibility for consulting with staff and the wider school community on change of status and other issues. The trust said it has met Synge Street CBS's staff on several occasions and acknowledged that they feel disappointed with and disrespected by the lack of consultation in the change of status process, as well as the speed around which it has taken place. 'In response to this and to give staff more time to adjust to and prepare for the change of status, ERST has got the agreement of the Department of Education to give the school the option of having another intake of students taught through English in September 2026. That would mean that it would be September 2032 before the school would become lán Gaeilge.'
RTÉ News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Protest held at Dublin school over Gaelcholáiste plan
Teachers and parents at a Dublin secondary school have protested over plans to transform the school into a Gaelcholáiste next year. The trade union, the ASTI, has warned of potential industrial action at Synge Street CBS if the school's patron body continues what the union called its "zero consultation" approach to the plans. Staff at the school were told last September that the decision had been made. They were informed by the school patron, the Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST), on the evening before it was publicly announced by the then minister for education Norma Foley. Both staff and parents at the school say they were not consulted about the switch. There is a strong campaign running in this part of the capital for the establishment of a Gaelcholáiste. "The decision was announced to us on a Tuesday and to the public the very next day," Synge Street teacher and ASTI representative Katie Delany said at the protest. "This is not the way to make changes. We are protesting today because so far our concerns have been ignored," Ms Delany said. ASTI President Donal Cremin said: "Synge Street CBS students, parents and teachers continue to be ignored, bypassed and disregarded. This is despite the fact that earlier this year the school Board of Management declared its opposition to the ERST changes being introduced in 2026. "ASTI teachers at the school continue to call for a pause in this unilaterally imposed decision, to allow for consultation with staff, parents and students. "A pause for a year would allow teachers' legitimate concerns to be addressed, for alternatives to be explored, and for a full consideration of what is best for the current school community as well for those who are seeking a Gaelcholáiste in the area." The school has a strong and long tradition of educating boys from across the city. In recent decades, it has catered largely to boys from local working-class families as well as immigrant youngsters. Currently, it has students from almost 50 different nationalities. "It is all very very sudden and no one has spoken to us," parent Kseniia Sonina said at the protest. "We heard the news from the TV which I find unacceptable. We the parents have not been consulted," she said. Ms Sonina has a son in second year at the school and she is concerned about the impact of the change on the mental health of students. "I think that teenagers are very vulnerable already and the fact that their teachers will be leaving now. They don't want to lose their teachers," she said. "This school is being taken away from its community," she said. "This is a beautiful school community", said parent Larissa Nolan, referring to the school's mix of students from immigrant backgrounds and of Irish students from a range of social backgrounds. "It takes years to build up a community like this and now it is about to be destroyed," she said. Both parents and teachers say that they fully respect the need for a Gaelcholáiste in the area, "but it feels like they are parachuting in another school [on top of ours]," Ms Nolan said. The ASTI has called on ERST and the Department of Education to immediately defer any decision regarding the future of the school "until a proper, respectful and just decision-making process is implemented".
The Journal
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Teachers protest at Dublin's Synge Street school over plans to switch to Gaelcholáiste
TEACHERS IN DUBLIN who were unexpectedly told that their secondary school would be transitioned into a Gaelcholáiste have expressed anger over the lack of consultation over the decision. Proposals to turn Synge Street CBS in Dublin 8 into a gaelscoil were first announced in September last year . The plan was later overturned in February but greenlit again in March . Today, President of the teaching union ASTI Donal Cremin and General Secretary Kieran Christie and members of the association staged a lunch-time protest outside the building over the lack of communication with staff over the proposal. Staff and members of the ASTI outside the school in Dublin 8 during the protest today. The Journal The Journal The ASTI said the decision will affect the staff's working lives 'in a fundamental way' and that there is an urgent need to discuss upskilling, transition and timeline plans with the teachers. Many teachers spoke of feeling caught off guard by the announcement. The Journal previously reported that the school was only told of the plan the day before then-education minister Norma Foley publicly announced it. Speaking at the event, Cremin told The Journal that staff, the department, the union and the Edmund Rice Schools Trust – which oversees the school and owns the property – need to 'get around the table to discuss' the plan. Communication between the union and the department has continued, Cremin said, but he claimed that there is a split between the school's management over the decision. He said that the issue needs to be addressed to staff properly for the transition to be a success. The ASTI believes the issue needs to be discussed with staff properly for the transition to be a success. The Journal The Journal First-year students entering Synge Street C.B.S. in September 2026 will be the only class that is taught completely as Gaeilge. All other students who enrolled before will continue their education through English. By September 2032 the school will be lán-Gaeilge. It follows a long-running campaign from residents and parents in the Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8 areas who want a dedicated Gaelcholáiste option for when their children leave local Irish-speaking primary schools. Advertisement Students from Bunscoil Synge, Gaelscoil Eoin, Gaelscoil Inse Chór, Gaelscoil Lios na nÓg and Scoil Bhríde located in the Dublin 2, 4, 6, and 8 have frequently taken part in the protest to demand that a Irish-speaking secondary school be created locally. The Department of Education has previously said that it remains committed to the establishment of a Gaelcholáiste in the Dublin South City area. ASTI, however, has said that 91% of staff at Synge Street CBS are not in favour of the transition to a Gaelcholáiste. Despite the school's concerns, the Edmund Rice Schools Trust – which oversees the school and owns the property – told staff in March that the plans to enroll and teach students through Irish in September 2026 will proceed. Labour councillor Fiona Connelly, Labour party leader and local TD Ivana Bacik and Fine Gael councillor Danny Byrne attended the protest alongside the teachers and the ASTI leadership this afternoon. Bacik told The Journal that she has long-supported plans to introduce a gaelscoil in the area but urged that there needed to be better communication, cooperation and consultation with the staff at the school for it to be done properly. Signs made by school staff read: 'RTÉ knew before we knew', 'No Consent, No Consultation' and 'Respect our Community'. Signs made by school staff read: "RTÉ knew before we knew". The Journal The Journal An assistant principal, who speaks Irish, will be appointed at the school and the Department and the Trust will provide upskilling resources to the staff. Teachers today said they are concerned over the efficiency of the upskilling programmes. One teacher said he would not have the level of proficiency required to teach through Irish within two years' time. The ASTI standing committee has highlighted how a number of gaelscoileanna around Dublin have constant staff shortages and are sometimes required to temporarily hire English-speaking teachers to teach Irish-speaking classes. Other teachers have recognised the need for a Gaelcholáiste in the Dublin 8 area, but that the speed of change is too fast, the lack of communication has increased concern for the future of their employment and the risk it poses to the school's community and diversity seen in its population. While most staff have recognised the need for a Gaelcholáiste in the Dublin 8 area, the speed of change and the lack of communication, they say, puts the future of their school and employment there at risk. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
How does a papal conclave work?
Philip Pullella, a Vatican expert, explains how the sequestered cardinals will elect a successor to Pope Francis. (Reuters) 100 days into the new Government, childcare campaigners protest at Leinster House calling on the Government to tackle the childcare crisis. Video: Dan Dennison US treasury secretary Scott Bessent announced the deal on X, saying it 'signals the Trump Administration's commitment to a free, sovereign, prosperous Ukraine." Michael Gaine's wife Janice (L) and his sister Noreen O'Regan (R) made a public appeal for help with the farmer's disappearance, now upgraded to a homicide. Students from Dublin Gaelscoileanna protested outside Leinster House, calling for the Gaelcholáiste promised last September to be built. Video: Dan Dennison Donald Trump has held a campaign-style rally in Michigan celebrating his first 100 days in office, with a speech in which he touted his 'economic victories'. A protest organised by Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign has called on the Central Bank to stop regulating Israeli Bonds. Video: Alan Betson Former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has taken the BBC to court over a 2016 programme which, he claims, defamed him. Video: Enda O'Dowd Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals retained power in the country's election, but fell short of the majority government he had wanted. In the first 100 days of his second term US president Donald Trump has been on the offensive against his adversaries. Video: Enda O'Dowd
Irish Times
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Gaelscoileanna students protest over delayed Gaelcholáiste
Students from Dublin Gaelscoileanna protested outside Leinster House, calling for the Gaelcholáiste promised last September to be built. Video: Dan Dennison Donald Trump has held a campaign-style rally in Michigan celebrating his first 100 days in office, with a speech in which he touted his 'economic victories'. A protest organised by Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign has called on the Central Bank to stop regulating Israeli Bonds. Video: Alan Betson Former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has taken the BBC to court over a 2016 programme which, he claims, defamed him. Video: Enda O'Dowd Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals retained power in the country's election, but fell short of the majority government he had wanted. In the first 100 days of his second term US president Donald Trump has been on the offensive against his adversaries. Video: Enda O'Dowd Following the sentencing of Glen Ward and Eric O'Driscoll at the Special Criminal Court, An Garda Síochána has released video of the weapons used by them. Donald Trump has said he was disappointed that Russia continues to attack Ukraine and that his meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the Vatican went well. Elizabeth Potskin was sharing a cigarette with friends at the Lapu Lapu Block Party in Vancouver when a deafening crash shattered the festival's joyful energy. A number of people were killed and many others were injured in Vancouver, after a driver drove into a crowd attending a Filipino street festival.
