Debate contribution: Irish-medium Education (Workforce Plan) Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Mrs Cathy Mason on 14 April 2026.

MLA

Mrs Cathy Mason

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

14 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Irish-medium Education (Workforce Plan) Bill: Second Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5482175

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the introduction of this important legislation here today by my colleague Pat Sheehan. The work that he has done not just on the Bill but for the Irish-medium sector over many years is truly commendable. The Bill reflects the ambition and determination of the Irish-medium sector. A sector that has grown, expanded and delivered for children, often without the support that it deserves. The reality is that Irish-medium education has not been carried by the system; it has been carried by people — passionate educators, committed parents and a workforce that continues to go above and beyond day in, day out. That goodwill can only stretch so far. Nowhere is the pressure more acute than in early years. Early years is not just the starting point of education; it is the foundation from which everything flows. Yet, time and again, I hear from Irish-medium childcare providers, early years settings, our naíscoileanna

and organisations such as Altram that they are struggling to recruit and retain staff. They are trying to build immersive language environments for our youngest children at the very stage where language development is most critical, but they are doing so with limited workforce support and very little strategic planning. If we do not get early years right, we are setting the entire system up to struggle, because that is where the pipeline into Irish-medium primary and post-primary education starts, and that is why the Bill matters. It allows us to finally start building the workforce across the entire Irish-medium sector, including early years, which is so often overlooked but is fundamental, because, without that foundation, growth simply will not be sustainable. Alongside that, we need to talk about those who are too often overlooked in the conversations: our classroom assistants and our special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs). Let us be clear: they are not an add-on to the system; they are its backbone. They sit beside a child who is struggling to communicate, and they calm, support and encourage, often quietly and without recognition. They are the ones who know those children inside out. In Irish-medium settings, they are doing all that through the medium of Irish, supporting not just learning but language acquisition, confidence and inclusion. Yet, despite the vital role that they play, they are too often undervalued, under-supported and left out of workforce planning, and that has to change. We also need to speak honestly about children with additional needs, because the consequences of the workforce gaps are much more profound for those children. I hear from parents who are already fighting every day to get the support that their child needs, only to face an additional barrier because that support is not available through the medium of Irish. Children are assessed, supported and sometimes misunderstood because the support is not delivered in the language that they are learning through. That is not just a gap in provision; it is a failure to meet those children where they are, and it places an unfair burden on the families who are simply trying to do what is best for their child, because, for a child with additional needs, communication is everything, and, when the communication is not in the right language, we are not giving the child the very best chance to succeed. That is why the conversation about the workforce matters so much. It is about having the right people with the right skills, in the right language, to properly support every child. When I speak to school staff in my constituency of South Down — in Downpatrick and Castlewellan — I see the growth, energy and commitment to Irish-medium education, but I also hear the same message time and time again that the system is not keeping up. There is a clear shortage not just of teachers but of the wider workforce, including early years staff, classroom assistants and Irish-speaking allied health professionals, and the consequences are real. Children are being supported through a language that is not their language of learning; staff are being stretched to breaking point; and families are worrying about whether the support that their child needs will be there. That is not equality. The Minister has pointed to the forthcoming Irish-medium education strategy as a reason for the Bill not being required. However, there is little confidence that another strategy will be delivered — certainly not in this mandate — and it will not be as concise and to the point as the Bill. I am not saying that nothing is happening in the Irish-medium area, but it is not enough to address the acute problems. In the meantime, the sector is left waiting, while the workforce pressures grow, children go without the support that they need and staff are stretched to breaking point. They are tired of it. They are tired of being treated as an add-on and of being something that is always promised for tomorrow but never prioritised today. The strategy will not recruit a classroom assistant or train an early years worker, and it will not put an Irish-speaking language therapist in front of a child who needs that support today. However, the Bill will, and that is why it matters. Whilst the Bill is narrow in scope, it is about much more than numbers or workforce planning; it is about recognising the reality on the ground, valuing the people who hold the system together and finally matching the growth of Irish-medium education with the support that it needs. No child should be disadvantaged because of the language that they learn through, and no workforce should be expected to carry a system without the backing of the system itself. If we are serious about equality, we must be serious about investing time and effort in the people who make it possible, and the Bill is a step in the right direction. I, therefore, welcome the Bill as a significant step towards bringing about a workforce that can nurture and sustain the growth of Irish-medium education.

Absolutely, but, as has already been pointed out, Irish-medium education is on the back foot. That is why we are trying to bring it in line with the rest of the sectors. As I was saying, I welcome the Bill as a significant step towards bringing about a workforce that can nurture and sustain the growth of Irish-medium education, thus ensuring that the children in that sector are placed on an equal footing with the others. I urge everyone to support the Bill.

1,085 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:17 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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