This article is from page 4 of the 2008-09-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
MORE interpretators are needed to help children and their parents adapt to life in Irish schools, accord- ing to the Teachers Union of Ireland Oued}
Bernie Ruane, Vice-President of the TUI, said the lack of interpreta- tors means misunderstandings and ill-discipline are inevitable.
‘“T read a lot in the papers that there
are always plenty of interpreters in our courts, but if we had a few more available for our schools, maybe we wouldn’t be seeing all these prob- lems in the court,” said Mrs Ruane. “Meetings between parents and teachers can be difficult and when there is a language barrier. Problems can arise and it can lead to ill disci- pline. There is no integration system for education in Ireland. There is no planning. It’s all very piece-meal.”
Mrs Ruane, a teacher at St Patrick’s Comprehensive College, Shannon, said parents are being let down by the government. “There are kids coming into a completely new environment and they are not providing them with anything. The resources to cope are not being provided to schools”.
Mrs Ruane said comments by made by Fine Gael Education spokesper- son Brian Hayes about segregating students were not helpful.
“We don’t support the idea of segre- gation, we would prefer to see more resources allocated for English tui- tion for smaller groups and individu- als. Doing it in a classroom environ- ment sometimes means that other students are being held back, because you are repeating lessons.”
Mrs Ruane also said “serious” health and safety issues were emerg- ing in woodwork rooms and science labs.