Brendan Smith
Question:177. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports available for a secondary school wishing to transition to a Gaelcholáiste. [50155/26]
View answerWednesday, 1 July 2026
Questions (177)
Written answers
I would like to thank the Deputy for his enquiry on this matter.
Regarding necessary supports for a secondary school that wishes to transition to a Gaelcholáiste, this is addressed on a case-by-case basis, at the appropriate time, taking account of the needs of the school. These needs might include renovation work at the school, furniture and equipment requirements and modernising/conversion of existing classrooms, for example. There may also be a need for the recruitment of teachers, depending on the circumstances.
Oide, a department funded support service for school leaders and teachers, can also support schools with their professional learning needs when planning to establish or transition to a Gaelcholáiste.
Oide can work in partnership with school leadership teams to identify professional learning priorities and provide tailored and sustained supports aligned to the school's context and stage of development, change management and/or creating an Irish-medium culture.
An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) are available to provide advice and support to schools in relation to the provision of Irish-medium education. They would also be able to support schools transitioning to a Gaelcholáiste in relation to language upskilling for staff.
On a general note, my department is fully committed to supporting Irish medium provision and has invested over €500m over the last 6 years in building new school buildings and modernising existing facilities for Irish medium schools across the country. My department will continue to support Irish medium provision as part of NDP rollout during the 2026 to 2030 period.