Tumoideachas ar oileáin scoite amach ó chósta na hÉireann – Féinmheastóireacht nó féinchaomhnú? Tomás Mac Pháidín, Bord Oideachais agus Oiliúna na Gaillimhe agus Ros Comáin
ACHOIMRE Tá iar-bhunscoileanna ar oileáin scoite amach ón gcósta ag stracadh le fada agus iad faoi mhíbhuntáistí iomadúla le blianta. Tá an easpa polasaí maidir le hoileáin na hÉireann go ginearálta, agus easpa polasaí maidir le hoideachas ar oileáin ach go háirithe, ainneoin na ndúshlán aitheanta, ina spreagadh do na scoileanna seo agus do phobail na n-oileán chun gníomhú lena dtodhchaí a chinntiú mar iar-bhunscoileanna Gaeltachta atá ag feidhmiú faoi phátrúnacht na mBord Oideachais agus Oiliúna. Tá daonra na n-oileán ag laghdú go leanúnach in Éirinn (CSO, 2016), rud a chuireann le práinn na scoileanna todhchaí a rianadh dóibh féin agus dá bpobail, iad ag tarraingt ar pholasaithe agus ar chur chuige réamhghníomhach tíortha eile. Tá an t-iomlán seo ag tarlú i gcomhthéacs ina bhfuil rialachas, riarachán agus éilimh ó scoileanna ag méadú de shíor, ach féinchaomhnú seachas féinmheastóireacht a bheith mar phríomhspreagadh ag iar-bhunscoileanna ar oileáin in Éirinn. ACHOIMRE Ireland’s off-shore island post-primary schools have been struggling for many years as they face numerous disadvantages, the most obvious being their remote location and small size. The lack of a national policy for islands’ development or sustainability, or any coherent islands’ education policy, has caused island schools to identify the significant disadvantages that they face and to engage with island communities, Education and Training Boards, with Government and with wider society, to address these disadvantages and challenges. Ireland’s island populations are falling continuously, which has caused already vulnerable post-primary schools to create a self-preservation plan for their future. These ‘community active’ schools recognised that some other countries have implemented progressive legislation to ensure islands’ sustainability through sensitive development. Islands schools’ struggle is occurring against a backdrop of the increased governance, regulatory and administrative burden faced by all schools. Island schools’ primary focus in recent years has been self-preservation, which provides a particularly unique focus to the Department of Education and Skills requirement regarding School Self-Evaluation (SSE) and School Improvement Plan (SIP).
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