Tá Éiteas ETB á rolladh amach ag Bord Oideachais agus Oiliúna (ETB) Dhún na nGall thar a chúig scoil dara leibhéal agus choláiste dhéag. Tá sé seo mar chuid de thionscnamh náisiúnta níos leithne a bhaineann le gach ETB. Is scoileanna Stáit, Comhoideachais agus il-Sainchreidmheacha iad gach scoil de chuid an ETB. Tá éiteas an ETB bunaithe ar a bhunluachanna a bhaineann le Sármhaitheas san Oideachas, Cúram, Meas, Comhionannas agus Pobal. I bhFómhar 2021, thosaigh scoileanna ag cur beart i bhfeidhm chun a bpolasaithe agus a gcleachtais féin a mheas chun cinntiú go bhfuil siad ag teacht lenár mbunluachanna. Agus sé scoil dár gcuid ag teagasc trí mheán na Gaeilge, reáchtáil muid imeacht i mbliana chun daltaí ó na scoileanna sin a thabhairt le chéile chun plé a dhéanamh ar éiteas Ghaelcholáiste ETB. Insíonn duine de na scoláirí, dalta Idirbhliana Choláiste Ailigh, Pádraig Mac Giolla Choin dúinn faoi bharúil s’aige ar an imeacht agus cad a chiallaíonn éiteas dó i gcomhthéacs Gaelcholáiste.
Tá ETB Dhún na nGall ina phátrún ar chúig iar-bhunscoil déag ar fud an chontae agus is Gaelcholáistí nó scoileanna Gaeltachta iad sé cinn acu, Coláiste Ailigh, Coláiste Chineál Eoghain, Gairmscoil Chú Uladh, Gairmscoil Mhic Diarmada, Coláiste na Carraige agus Coláiste Phobail Cholmcille.
Tháinig ár nGaelscoileanna le chéile ar na mallaibh, do lá speisialta, áit a raibh an fócas dírithe ar bhunluachanna scoil ETB. Rinneadh an plé uilig i nGaeilge. Ba é seo an chéad uair a reáchtáladh a leithéid d’imeacht go speisialta do na Gaelcholáistí/scoileanna Gaeltachta. Tá na cúig bhunluach chéanna ag gach scoil ETB, ach nascann snáithe comónta sé scoil acu, is scoileanna iad a fheidhmíonn trí mheán na Gaeilge. Chinntigh sé seo gur imeacht tábhachtach agus croíúil ag an am céanna a bhí sa teacht le chéile.
Ar dtús, mhínigh ár múinteoir cad a bheadh i gceist leis an lá. Bhí mé neirbhíseach ag smaoineamh go mbeadh orm labhairt os comhair daltaí eile nach raibh aithne agam orthu, ach mhothaigh mé níos fearr agus fios agam nach mbeinn i m’aonar agus go mbeadh daoine eile ó mo rang ansin fosta.
Bhain muid an tÓstán Radisson Blu amach thart faoi 9:30a.m. chun an seomra a ullmhú agus chun cuidiú le gach rud a shocrú. Ní raibh sé i bhfad sular thosaigh daltaí ó scoileanna eile ag teacht. Bhí sé go hiontach bualadh le daltaí eile. Bhí an seomra beo leis an … Ghaeilge!
D’ullmhaigh ár múinteoir Iníon Newman sceideal an lae. Rinne muid muid féin a chlárú, cuireadh fáilte romhainn agus ina dhiaidh sin, labhair an t-aoichainteoir an Dr Séamus Conboy ó Bhoird Oideachais agus Oiliúna Éireann linn. Chuir sé i gcuimhne dúinn gur imeacht stairiúil a bhí ann.
Ansin thosaigh muid ag meascadh leis na daltaí eile agus ag gabháil do ghníomhaíochtaí neartaithe foirne. Bhí bileog bhiongó ar láimh againn, chuaigh muid thart an seomra ag bailiú ainmneacha agus scileanna suimiúla ó dhaoine éagsúla. Chuir sé seo tús le beocht an lae. Ansin, nuair a bhí muid roinnte i ngrúpaí, spreagadh muid chun comhrá a dhéanamh eadrainn féin. Ní raibh sé seo furasta ag an tús, ach ní i bhfad go raibh ag éirí linn. Arís, bhí an seomra lán brí agus anama leis an Ghaeilge. Bhí sé ar dóigh é a chloisteáil.
Ag thart faoi 11.00a.m., chuir muid tús leis an chuid is tábhachtaí den lá. Phléigh muid, i ngrúpaí, na cúig
bhunluach atá ag scoil ETB – meas, comhionannas cúram, pobal agus sármhaitheas san oideachas. Bhog muid thart táblaí de réir liosta, agus ar an bhealach seo, bhí muid ag caint le daltaí éagsúla i rith an lae. Ba é an sprioc ná bualadh le gach dalta sa seomra agus go deimhin gur éirigh liom.
Ba dheis é dom smaointe a roinnt le daltaí ó scoileanna ar fud an chontae agus mar a bhíonn sé i gcónaí, bhí iontach a bheith thart ar an oiread sin pearsantachtaí éagsúla. Cé go raibh sé dúshlánach in amanna comhrá a spreagadh, go háirithe nuair a bhí gá le cuid mhór machnaimh ar na topaicí sula dtiocfadh linn freagra a thabhairt, spreag freagraí ar na ceisteanna tuiscint nua.
Ba é an rud is tábhachtaí a d’fhoghlaim mé ná nach féidir aon luach amháin a bheith ann gan na luachanna eile go léir. Ní thig linn cúram a bheith againn gan mheas. Agus is lú an pobal gan chomhionannas. Chuir sé ag smaoineamh mé ar an séadchomhartha Polestar ag timpeallán Dhroichead an Phoirt anseo i Leitir Ceanainn. Dá mba rud é go raibh muid chun ceann de na cuaillí a scriosadh, thitfeadh an séadchomhartha. Caithfidh muid a chinntiú go bhfuil na bunluachanna uilig atá ag scoil ETB in áit go daingean.
Níos tábhachtaí ná sin, bhí sé go hiontach Gaeilge a labhairt le daltaí ó scoileanna eile agus deis a fháil an Ghaeilge a úsáid taobh amuigh de bhallaí na scoile. Bhí mé an-bhródúil as a bheith i mo chainteoir líofa Gaeilge an lá sin, mar a bhíonn mé gach lá. Mhothaigh mé go raibh éacht déanta agam gur féidir liom comhrá a dhéanamh trí mheán na Gaeilge agus í a thuiscint. Is bronntanas speisialta í atá gar do mo chroí. Mar a scríobh an file Éireannach Michael Hartnett uair amháin, “Féadfaimid labhairt i mBéarla, ach bímid ag brionglóideach i nGaeilge”.
B’fhiú go mór an lá. Bhain mé an-sult as agus mholfainn go hard é do dhaltaí na hIdirbhliana amach anseo. D’fhoghlaim mé a lán as a bheith ag caint leis na daltaí cliste agus cairdiúil a bhí i láthair. Tá sé i gcónaí iontach léargais a fháil agus peirspictíochtaí nua a fháil ó dhaoine eile, go háirithe ó phiaraí.
Tá mé buíoch de gach duine a d’eagraigh an t-imeacht agus as an iarracht a cuireadh isteach ann. Ba mhaith liom buíochas ar leith a ghabháil le hIníon Newman as cuireadh a thabhairt dúinn agus as an obair ar fad a chuir sí isteach ann. Bhí mé ar Radio na Gaeltachta ag caint faoin imeacht an tseachtain dár gcionn, fiú! B’fhéidir go mbeidh gairm sa chraoltóireacht ‘as Gaeilge’ ar na bacáin domsa sa todhchaí! Cá bhfios?!
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Donegal Education and Training Board (ETB) is rolling out ETB Ethos across its fifteen second level schools and colleges. This is part of a broader national initiative involving all ETBs. All ETB schools are State, Co-educational and Multi-Denominational. ETB ethos is underpinned by the core values of Excellence in Education, Care, Respect, Equality and Community. In Autumn 2021, schools began putting in place measures to examine their own policies and practices and ensure that these are aligned with our core values. With six of our schools teaching through the medium of Irish, we held an event this year to bring together students from these schools to explore the ethos of an ETB school that teaches through Irish. One of the students, Coláiste Ailigh Transition Year student Pádraig Mac Giolla Choin tells us about his experience of the event and what ethos means to him in the context of an Irish medium school.
Donegal ETB is the patron of fifteen post primary schools throughout the county and six of them, Coláiste Ailigh, Coláiste Chineál Eoghain, Gairmscoil Chú Uladh, Gairmscoil Mhic Diarmada, Coláiste na Carraige and Coláiste Phobail Cholmcille are Irish medium or Gaeltacht schools.
Recently, our Irish-medium schools came together for a special day, where the focus revolved around the core values of an ETB school. All discussions took place in Irish. It was the first time such an event had been organised specifically for the Irish/Gaeltacht schools. All ETB schools have the same five core values, but only six share a common thread, Irish language schools. This made the collective gathering significant and heartwarming, in equal measure.
Initially our teacher outlined what the day would entail. I was nervous at the prospect of speaking in front of other students who I didn’t know, but I felt better knowing that I would not be on my own and other classmates were attending too.
We reached the Radisson Blu Hotel around 9:30am to prepare the room and help with the set up. It wasn’t long before students from other schools started arriving. It was great to meet other students. The room was alive with the sound of … Irish!
Our teacher Ms. Newman prepared the day’s schedule. We registered, were welcomed and following that, guest speaker Dr. Séamus Conboy from Education and Training Boards Ireland addressed us. He reminded us that this was an historical occasion.
Then we began mingling with the other students and engaging in team-building activities. We had a bingo sheet in hand, went around the room collecting names and interesting skills from different people. This kicked off the day’s liveliness. Then, when we were divided into groups, we were encouraged to chat amongst ourselves. This wasn’t easy at first, but we soon found our way. Again, the room bubbled with the sound of Irish. It was wonderful to hear.
Around 11.00am, we started the most important part of the day. We discussed, in groups, the five core values of an ETB school – respect, equality, care, community, and excellence in education. We rotated around tables according to a list, and in this way, we were talking to different students throughout the day. The goal was to meet every student in the room and indeed I did.
It was a great opportunity for me to share ideas with students from schools across the county and as always, great to be around so many different personalities. While it was sometimes challenging to encourage conversation, especially when the topics required a lot of thought before answering, answers drawn from the questions sparked new understanding.
The most important thing I learned is that no single value can exist without all the others. We cannot have care without respect. And community is lesser in the absence of equality. It made me think of the Polestar monument on the Port Bridge roundabout here in Letterkenny. If we were to delete one of the poles, the monument would fall. We must ensure that all core values of an ETB school are sturdily in place.
Most importantly, it was great to speak Irish with students from other schools and get an opportunity to use Irish outside of school walls. I was very proud to be a fluent Irish speaker that day, as I am every day. I felt a great sense of accomplishment that I can converse through and understand Irish. It is a special gift that I hold very dear to my heart. As the Irish poet Michael Hartnett once wrote, “We may speak in English, but we dream in Irish”.
It was a very worthwhile day. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to future Transition Year students. I learned a lot from communicating with the clever and friendly students present. It is always great to get insights and gain new perspectives from others, especially peers.
I am grateful to everyone who organised the event and the effort that went into it. Special thanks to Ms. Newman for inviting us and all the work she put into it. I was even on Radio na Gaeltachta talking about the event the following week! Maybe a career in broadcasting ‘as Gaeilge’ will be on the cards for me in the future! Who knows?!