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

Debate contribution by Mr Paul Givan on 14 April 2026.

MLA

Mr Paul Givan

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

14 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

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

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5482231

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I acknowledge the intent behind the private Member's Bill, and I recognise the many teachers, school leaders, classroom assistants, other support staff, parents, pupils and representatives of sectoral bodies who have contributed to discussions about the future workforce needs of Irish-medium education. Their commitment to ensuring high-quality education through the medium of Irish is clear, and I record my appreciation of their ongoing work and dedication. I have visited many Irish-medium schools. Colleagues in the Assembly invited me to do so, and I thoroughly enjoyed those experiences. I was made very welcome, and I admired the education that was being provided to those young people. I have sought to address concerns that have been brought to me by the Irish-medium sector when it comes to education and the sector's needs, as you would expect any Education Minister to do for any sector. Those needs vary, and I will outline a range of issues on which the Irish-medium sector has concerns, as well as how we seek to support it. As a Minister, I have been actively involved in taking decisions to provide development proposals for nursery provision. I have also actively taken decisions to move forward new builds for the Irish-medium sector. I know that the narrative of having a DUP Education Minister who is proactively engaged with and is encouraging towards Irish-medium education does not always suit some Members in the House. At times, I have listened to political comments made by some commentators and some in the House, and I have said to myself, "That must not be relevant to the Department of Education", because I do not think that Members will find any evidence of any form of inequality of treatment of the Irish-medium sector by me as Minister of Education.

Mr McNulty talked about unionism collectively and broadly having nothing to fear. This unionist Minister has absolutely nothing to fear, nor have I shown any concerns in that respect. Indeed, Cara Hunter rightly said that, when she and her colleague Patsy McGlone came to me about a particular project — Scoil Spreagtha — that had experienced funding cuts, asking me to engage in finding a solution in order for that organisation to continue to provide a taster of Irish for pupils in English-speaking schools, I proactively engaged and found a solution and provided funding of some £100,000 to that organisation. Therefore, I am content that I have a track record that demonstrates my bona fides as a Minister for all when it comes to Irish-medium education. I will give way to Mr McNulty.

Thank you, Mr McNulty. Forgive me for not noting that you were at that meeting and made the case for the organisation as well. Today's debate gives us an opportunity to consider the strengths and the pressures in Irish-medium education and to reflect on how the Executive and the Department can best support that important and growing sector. Before I turn to the detail of the Bill, let me signpost briefly what I intend to cover. I will speak first about the aims of the Bill. I will then address the current workforce challenges in Irish-medium education. After that, I will outline the work that the Department is already taking forward, including the development of a dedicated Irish-medium education strategy. Finally, I will set out my initial view on the legislative proposals that are before the Assembly today. At its core, the Bill seeks to place a statutory duty on the Department to prepare and publish a workforce plan for Irish-medium education and progress reviews against it. It proposes that the first plan be published within one year of the Act's coming into operation and that updated plans be published at intervals of no more than five years. It also places duties on the Minister to consult widely with schools, teachers, parents, — let me try — Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta, more commonly known as CnaG, and others across the sector. It requires measurable targets and a report to the Assembly on the implementation of each plan within 18 months. My Department understands that the sector faces a number of well-recognised and long-standing pressures. Irish-medium education has experienced sustained growth in recent years, and that brings with it new demands on staffing, training, leadership, resources and support services. Consultation responses on this private Member's Bill, as well as research from Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta, Stranmillis University College, Queen's University Belfast and others, highlights shortages of teachers, classroom assistants and SEN professionals with the requisite level of Irish. Teachers also report considerable additional workload from preparing appropriate resources, translating materials and supporting pupils with differing levels of language exposure. Additionally, school leaders highlight issues with buildings, classroom space and access to specialist support. Those are real challenges across the whole education system, some of which are felt most keenly in Irish-medium education and other sectors. They can affect not only staff but the quality of provision for children and the ability of schools to plan for growth. Some Sinn Féin Members are keen to attack TransformED, but I think that they understand it, and, in understanding it, they will know that TransformED has recognised the importance of the workforce in the delivery of quality education and for Irish-medium education and our system as a whole. While I recognise the intention behind the Bill, I believe that it is important to note that a substantial programme of work is already in place. The Department has established an Irish-medium strategy steering group and a working group that involves CnaG, the EA, CCEA, CCMS, CSSC, Altram and representatives from Irish-medium schools. Those groups are already in the process of developing the Department's first dedicated Irish-medium education strategy, which will set out actions to address teacher supply, leadership development, SEN provision, early years capacity and the availability of immersion-appropriate resources. That work reflects extensive consultation with the same stakeholders that have been identified in the Bill. It ensures that all voices are heard without introducing statutory rigidity. Initial teacher education intake numbers for Irish-medium education have been protected, even at times when reductions were required elsewhere. Members have referenced equality. Whenever reductions took place, preferential treatment — inequality, if one could describe it as that — was afforded to the Irish-medium sector. People will say that that was the right thing to do. When reductions were applied to every other sector, that did not apply. There was not equality of cuts to the Irish-medium sector, which was given preferential treatment. People can justify that as being the right thing to do. It is not the case that the Bill addresses inequality or the Irish-medium sector being treated as inferior to other sectors. Members have highlighted that there is already a statutory duty and an enhancement of protection that is not afforded to other sectors. The Bill adds further rights on top of existing rights that do not extend to other sectors. Through TransformED, a new teacher training bursary scheme is being introduced, with Irish-medium education highlighted as one of the priority areas that is experiencing the most acute shortage. I say to the Sinn Féin Members that that shows that TransformED is delivering for the Irish-medium sector.

The Education Authority is progressing innovative work on the use of artificial intelligence to reduce teacher workload in Irish-medium education settings and plans to appoint accredited AI leads in every Irish-medium school. The Department of Education continues to work with partners to explore additional pathways for fluent Irish speakers to enter the profession, including for entrants from other jurisdictions and alternative training routes. All of that demonstrates that the issues that are highlighted by the Bill are already being not just actively considered but addressed. The question for the Assembly today is not whether workforce challenges exist — they clearly do, and I agree — but whether legislation is the most appropriate mechanism to address them. My view, which I have set out previously in correspondence — Mr Sheehan referenced that — is that legislation is not necessary and may, in fact, constrain our ability to respond flexibly to changing circumstances. A statutory requirement to publish a workforce plan within 12 months, followed by fixed five-year cycles, does not reflect the dynamic nature of the sector. Growth patterns vary, recruitment pipelines shift and needs evolve in ways that may require more responsive action than a fixed review period would allow. Furthermore, the Bill creates a planning framework that would require funding for the potential measures that a workforce plan might identify. As the Bill's explanatory and financial memorandum acknowledges, additional resources would be required to deliver the administrative duties that would be created by the Bill. Introducing a statutory duty in one specific education sector may also, rightly, raise questions about parity of treatment for other sectors, which are also facing significant workforce challenges. Introducing statutory-based planning now risks creating a structural imbalance between sectors. It also risks creating unknown and unintended consequences that could have a negative impact on the broader workforce and that within Irish-medium education. I am keen to avoid duplication of effort or diversion of focus. The development of the Irish-medium education strategy already provides the mechanism for targeted, evidence-based planning. It involves all the key partners that the Bill has identified, and it will allow for ongoing review, refinement and collaborative decision-making. Let me be clear: I share the ambition that Irish-medium education should continue to thrive and that it should do so on a strong and sustainable foundation. Our children deserve high-quality education, access to the right support at the right time and school environments where teachers and staff have the resources and professional development that they need in order to deliver excellent education. The work that is already under way in the Department is aimed squarely at delivering on those ambitions. The TransformED work will make a positive difference across all schools, and the Irish-medium education strategy will mark a significant step forward in strengthening the sector, ensuring stability in teacher supply, improving SEN support, enhancing leadership capacity and addressing the operational pressures that schools have articulated. In conclusion, I acknowledge the genuine concerns around workforce issues in the Irish-medium sector and in the wider education system. I reaffirm recognition of the Department's statutory duty to encourage and facilitate Irish-medium education, and I emphasise that a major strategic programme of work is already under way to address the challenges in the sector. The most effective way forward is to complete and implement the Irish-medium education strategy, which is already designed to provide the coordinated, evidence-based and responsive approach that the sector needs. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Members, with Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta, with teachers and with the wider community as we take forward that important agenda.

1,798 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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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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