The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-03-27
DONEGAL LEADS EVERY COUNTY IN IRELAND
The Great Drawback the Teachers Have to Contend
Against in tho County of Wicklow is Apathy of
Parents of Pupils.

made most marked progress In
h!lingual education. The bilineual
programme was not in operation in
any school in tho county during 1867:
ncw il contains onc-half Of the
bllingual schools in tho country. In
Kerry there are 90: In Galway, is; in
Mayo. s: in Clare, ]: and in Water
ford. blingual schools ! have vis-
tied 13 of these schools-viz., six in
Galway and seven in Kerry. Three
of the Galway schools visited are do.
ing fairly good work in the three 9TH
ers the teaching is blingually defep-
tive. The teaching in the Kerry schools
visited is satisfactory. In these schools
pupils read and explain Irish and Eng
ish matter with about equal ease and
liuency. Riling,la instruction as car
ried on here is undoubtedly an edu-
chtional success. There are some oth-
rr schools in South Kerry into which
| tHe introduction Of the bilinEual pro-
! gramme would be educationally adVan-e
tageous but its Introduction is. in
| many cases, not yet feasible, owing to
he initial knowledge Of Irish required
on the part of teachers and pupils. In
the course OF my visits have observ-
ed that some teachers use Irish and
English largely during the same lesson.
One instruction, direction, or explana-
ion is given in Irish, and another is
given I'm English. This method of
teaching is not to be commended. II
irish is to be the medium Of instruc-
ton employed. Irish should, subject to
an exception to- which shall presently
refer, be used exclusively during the
lesson: and If English is to be the
medium OF instruction adopted, Eng
lish should he used in a similarly ex-
elusive manner. The exception REFER
"ee' to above is where a word or phrase
occurs which may be more convenient
" explained to pupils by a, TRANSLATION
than by d rendering in the language in
hand"
The report also deals with the Gaelic
Colleges for the training Of teachers
lad with the employment Of extern
teachers. With regard to the employ
| ment Of extern teachers, the Inspector
says:--"I have little to add to the re-
| marks made by me in my report Of
1907 regarding the employment of ex-
if,rn
s;ble, more thoroughly convinced mo
| that the teaching efforts Of extern
| teachers, unaided and not sympathized
with by the ordinary teaching staff,
can at best be only partially SUCCESS
full. Wherever an extern teacher is
| employed 1t is desirable that the or
binary teacher, even though not fully
competent, should take part in the
work. The ordinary teacher who is
L student Of Irish should not conduct
an Irish lesson during the time the
extern teacher is giving one. but he
could at some other suitable time teach,
say one writing lesson each week. He
should also be able to take Standard
III. and Standard Nv. pupils over tho
principal points of a lesson already
taught by the extern teacher"
The report is interesting for the facts
which it contains, but there are soma
opinions expressed in It which, in view
Of the information obtained by Mr..
William Redmond in the House Of
Commons last week, hardly square with
the facts. The report refers to the in.
crease in the teaching Of Irish in the
year under review, and to the "prao-
tical restoration" Of the fees Withdrawn
1 in 1905, during the administration OF
i Mr.. Walter Long. The Inspectors fig-
ures show that his opinion - right as
regards the increase in the teaching
OF Irish in the National Schools, but
the information obtained by Mr.. Red
inond shows that he is quite wrong in
describing the present scheme for tho
payment Of fees for the teaching Of
i