BELOW IS a briefing in Irish and English on the 20-year strategy for the Irish Language:
Léargas Ginearálta ar an Straitéis
* Rinneadh an Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge a dhearadh chun cur chuige iomlánaíoch, comhtháite i ndáil leis an nGaeilge a chur chun cinn, ar cur chuige é a luíonn le dea-chleachtas idirnáisiúnta.
* Eascraíonn an Straitéis as taighde ollscoile agus as comhairliúchán le páirtithe leasmhara.
* Leagtar 9 réimse gnímh amach sa straitéis lena n-áirítear oideachas, an Ghaeltacht, an teaghlach, seirbhísí poiblí, an geilleagar, na meáin agus an reachtaíocht.
* Spriocanna na Straitéise:
* An líon daoine a labhraíonn Gaeilge gach lá a mhéadú ó 83,000 go 250,000.
* An líon daoine sa Ghaeltacht a labhraíonn Gaeilge gach lá a mhéadú de 25%.
* Feidhmiú na Straitéise:
* Déanfaidh an Coiste Rialtais ar an nGaeilge agus ar an nGaeltacht maoirseacht ar dhul chun cinn na Straitéise agus tabharfaidh siad tuairisc don Rialtas de réir mar is gá.
* Tabharfaidh Grúpa Oifigeach Sinsearach ina mbeidh oifigigh ardleibhéil ó Ranna Rialtais ábhartha tacaíocht don Choiste Rialtais.
* Tá na chéad céimeanna tógtha chun Aonad Straitéise a chur ar bun sa Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Comhionannais agus Gaeltachta. Tabharfaidh an tAonad seo treoir d’fheidhmiú na Straitéise agus déanfaidh sé an reachtaíocht a dhréachtú a bheidh ag teastáil chun Údarás na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta a bhunú agus chun ceantair Ghaeltachta a shainiú sa todhchaí.
* Oideachas faoin Straitéis:
Déantar foráil sa Straitéis don chóras oideachais a fheabhsú ar na bealaí seo a leanas:
* Teagasc na Gaeilge a threisiú i mbunoiliúint múinteoirí agus socrúcháin chun tréimhsí níos faide a chaitheamh sa Ghaeltacht a chur ar fáil do mhúinteoirí.
* Cuirfear thart ar 20% de na háiteanna i gColáistí Oideachais i leataobh do mhic léinn a gcuirtear oideachas orthu trí mheán na Gaeilge i scoileanna Gaeltachta agus i ngaelscoileanna agus dóibh siúd a bhaineann ardleibhéal cumais amach i scrúdú Gaeilge na hArdteistiméireachta.
* Déanfar infheistíocht níos treise san oiliúint inseirbhíse a chuirtear ar mhúinteoirí agus i scéimeanna na scoláireachtaí Gaeltachta atá dírithe ar mhúinteoirí atá ag teagasc cheana féin.
* Cuirfear leis an úsáid a bhaintear as tumoideachas páirteach chun an Ghaeilge a theagasc sa chóras bunscolaíochta.
* Tabharfar tacaíocht don Údarás um Ard-Oideachas chun clár a bhunú chun oideachas tríú leibhéal trí Ghaeilge a fhorbairt.
* An Ghaeltacht faoin Straitéis:
* Ní mór tús áite a thabhairt láithreach bonn don ghéarchéim theangeolaíoch sa Ghaeltacht. Tugadh le fios sa Staidéar Cuimsitheach Teangeolaíoch ar Úsáid na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht (2007) nach mairfidh an Ghaeilge mar theanga phobail agus theaghlaigh sa Ghaeltacht ach ar feadh 15 nó 20 bliain eile. Beartaítear sa Straitéis aghaidh a thabhairt ar an tsaincheist sin trí ghníomhaíochtaí na bpríomhinstitiúidí Stáit atá freagrach as an nGaeltacht a chur san áireamh i gcreat comhtháite um pleanáil straitéiseach teanga do phobail Ghaeltachta.
* Faoi Acht nua Gaeltachta, bunófar stádas Gaeltachta ar chritéir theangeolaíocha. Cuirfear tús le próiseas pleanála teanga a fhágfaidh go n-ullmhófar plean teanga ag leibhéal pobail do gach ceantar Gaeltachta.
* I gcás pobal nach bhfuil ábalta na critéir sa reachtaíocht nua a chomhlíonadh, tabharfar 2 bhliain dóibh chun pleananna teanga a fhorbairt chun a stádas mar phobail Ghaeltachta a choinneáil.
* I gcás go dteipfidh ar phobail pleananna teanga inghlactha inbhuanaithe a fhorbairt laistigh den tréimhse 2 bhliain sin, ní áireofar sa Ghaeltacht iad níos mó.
* Déanfar athbhreithniú ar phleananna teanga gach 7 mbliana.
* Féadfar limistéir nua a áireamh mar Ghaeltacht má chomhlíonann siad na critéir theangeolaíocha nua faoin Acht nua Gaeltachta.
* Údarás na Gaeltachta faoin Straitéis:
* Beartaítear sa Straitéis Údarás na Gaeltachta a athchóiriú agus Údarás nua na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta a chur ina áit. Beidh ceanncheathrú na heagraíochta seo sa Ghaeltacht.
* Tá dréacht-reachtaíocht don Údarás nua á hullmhú ag an Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Comhionannais agus Gaeltachta i láthair na huaire.
* Beidh feidhm fiontraíochta aige i gcónaí agus beidh sé freagrach as nithe a bhaineann leis an nGaeilge ar fud an Stáit i gcomhthéacs na Straitéise nua.
* Leanfar ag tacú le Foras na Gaeilge ar a mbeidh na freagrachtaí céanna i ndáil leis an teanga ar bhonn uile-oileáin.
* Cistiú don Ghaeilge as an Státchiste sa bhliain 2011:
Tá an Rialtas tiomanta i gcónaí don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht.
* Is é €36 milliún an leithdháileadh iomlán don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht i Meastacháin na Roinne Gnóthaí Pobail, Comhionannais agus Gaeltachta don bhliain 2011. Ní áirítear leis sin cistiú as an Státchiste d’Fhoras na Gaeilge, do na hoileáin (atá sa Ghaeltacht, den chuid is mó) agus do na meáin chraoltóireachta Gaeilge. Cé go raibh sé riachtanach cistiú caipitil don bhliain 2011 a choigeartú, déanfar seirbhísí duine le duine a bheidh riachtanach d’fheidhmiú na Straitéise a chosaint.
* Is é €12 milliún san iomlán buiséad caipitil iomlán an Údaráis don bhliain 2011 (ioncam coinnithe san áireamh). Is infheistíocht shuntasach sa Ghaeltacht é an cistiú caipitil seo ar fiú isteach agus amach le €30 milliún é agus a chuirfear ar fáil don Údarás idir 2010 agus 2011.
* Cistiú don Straitéis:
* Is Straitéis 20 Bliain í an straitéis seo agus cuirfear i bhfeidhm í ar dtús trí úsáid a bhain as na hacmhainní reatha atá ar fáil.
* Chuir an Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Comhionannais agus Gaeltachta €1.5 milliún i leataobh as na hacmhainní reatha chun tacú leis an Straitéis, de réir mar is gá, i gcéad bhliain na Straitéise. Is leor sin toisc go mbeidh an obair thosaigh dírithe ar phleanáil, ar reachtaíocht agus ar leasú struchtúrach.
* Tacaíocht Traspháirtí:
Is cúis áthais é an leibhéal tacaíochta traspháirtí a tugadh don Straitéis go dtí seo. Bhí ról an-chuiditheach ag an gComhchoiste Oireachtais a bhíonn ag déileáil leis an nGaeilge sa phróiseas ónar eascair an Straitéis seo. Rinneadh 37 moladh sa tuarascáil ón gComhchoiste Oireachtais agus cuireadh an chuid ba mhó díobh sin san áireamh sa Straitéis.
As bearla
* The 20-Year Strategy is designed to promote a holistic, integrated approach to the Irish language which is in line with international best practice.
* The Strategy is the culmination of university research and stakeholder consultation.
* It sets out 9 areas for action including education, the Gaeltacht, the family, public services, the economy, the media and legislation.
* Targets of the Strategy:
* Increase the number of daily speakers of Irish from 83,000 to 250,000.
* Increase the number of daily speakers of Irish in Gaeltacht areas by 25%.
* Implementation of the Strategy:
* The Cabinet Committee on Irish and the Gaeltacht will maintain oversight of progress of the Strategy and will report to Government as necessary.
* A Senior Officials Group made up of high-level officials from relevant Government Departments will support the Cabinet Committee.
* The first steps have been taken in establishing a Strategy Unit in DCEGA that will direct the implementation of the Strategy and draft the legislation for the establishment of Údarás na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta and define Gaeltacht areas in future.
* Education under the Strategy:
The Strategy provides for improvements in the education system:
* Strengthening of Irish-language teaching in initial teacher training and extended Gaeltacht placements for teachers.
* Up to 20% of places in Colleges of Education to be retained for students educated through Irish in Gaeltacht schools, in gaelscoileanna and for those attaining a high performance threshold in Irish in the Leaving Certificate.
* Strengthened investment in in-service training for teachers and in Gaeltacht scholarship schemes for serving teachers.
* Expanding partial immersion approaches to teaching through Irish in the primary system.
* Support for the HEA to put in place a programme to develop third-level education through Irish.
* An Ghaeltacht under the Strategy:
* The most immediate priority is the linguistic crisis in the Gaeltacht. The Comprehensive Linguistic Study of the Use of Irish in the Gaeltacht (2007) indicated that Irish has a lifespan of 15 to 20 years as a community and household language in the Gaeltacht. The Strategy proposes to address this by including the activities of the main State institutions with responsibilities in the Gaeltacht within the framework of an integrated strategic language planning for Gaeltacht communities.
* Under a new Gaeltacht Act, Gaeltacht status will be based on linguistic criteria. A language planning process will be instigated whereby a language plan will be prepared at community level for each Gaeltacht district.
* Communities that cannot comply with the criteria in the new legislation will be given 2 years to develop language plans to maintain their status as Gaeltacht communities.
* Communities that fail to develop acceptable sustainable language plans with the 2-year period will no longer be included in the Gaeltacht.
* Language plans will be reviewed every 7 years.
* New areas may also be included in the Gaeltacht if they meet the linguistic criteria under the new Gaeltacht Act.
* Údarás na Gaeltachta under the Strategy:
* The Strategy proposes to reconfigure Údarás na Gaeltachta as a new Údarás na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta. Its headquarters will be based in the Gaeltacht.
* Draft legislation for the new Authority is being prepared by DCEGA.
* It will retain an enterprise function and it will also have responsibility for Irish language matters throughout the State in the context of the new Strategy.
* Foras na Gaeilge will continue to be supported and will maintain its existing responsibilities for the language on an all-island basis.
* Funding by the Exchequer for the Irish language in 2011:
The Government remains committed to the Irish language and the Gaeltacht.
* The total allocation in the Estimates for DCEGA for 2011 for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht is €36m. This does not include Exchequer funding for Foras na Gaeilge, for the islands (most of which are in Gaeltacht areas) and for Irish language broadcasting media. While it was necessary to make adjustments for 2011 in capital funding, front-line services that will be vital to the implementation of the Strategy will be protected.
* The total capital budget for Údarás in 2011 is €12m in total (including retained income). Capital funding of some €30m over a 2-year period from 2010 to 2011 for the Údarás is a very significant investment in the Gaeltacht.
* Funding for the Strategy:
* This is a 20-Year Strategy which is to be initially implemented within existing resources.
* €1.5m has been set aside by DCEGA from within existing resources to support the Strategy, as required, during its first year. This will be adequate since the initial work will focus on planning, legislation and structural reform.
* Cross-party support:
The level of cross-party support received by the Strategy to date has been impressive. The Joint Oireachtas Committee that deals with the Irish language played a hugely constructive role in the process culminating in this Strategy. There were 37 recommendations made in the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee and the majority of these were included in the Strategy.