Children as young as four are to be taught Polish in Northern Ireland primary schools from September. Because of the large numbers of Polish families who have moved to the province and almost 1,700 Polish children in schools, the language has been added to the Spanish and Irish already on offer.
So far 25 schools have signed up to have a tutor provided for their Primary 1-4 classes under a scheme funded by the Department of Education in Northern Ireland.
During the last school year 247 primary schools had regular Spanish lessons and 76 Irish lessons.
How is it enhanced? Polish is not an important language, and I dare say the only ones learning it will be the Poles.
Well even if it's not an "important" language. Learning any language is a benefit to young people, especially ones so young. I wish I had learned ore languages in early primary...would maybe have helped me in later life.
So in that case would you say that learning the Irish Gaelic is useless as well? It's not exactly a hugely spoken or important language. But I know I would love to have learned Gaelic at school!
There's no reason to oppose it. Looks like your Education Minister is meeting the needs of the people. I think it's good they offer so many choices. Where I live choice is obsolete unless you want to pay for a private school and even then there's not a lot of choice, either.
Its the recognised language of Ireland. The only children who will be learning Polish are the Poles themselves. Its an absolute waste of money and shows mass immigration up for the farce that it is.
SeanBM
Spanish, French and a bit of Czech.
PlasticPole
They are meeting the needs of the Poles. The Polish support group in NI lobbied for this. I thought they where all going home? Looks like we are stuck with them.
No native children will be learning Polish, the catholics will be learning Irish and the Prods Spanish, French or German.
I think it would depend what has been shelved or had lesson time reduced to fit in the Polish lessons.
It's not as though they can increase the number of hours they can teach, so Polish lessons must be replacing something. What will they be doing less of ? Grammar ? Reading ? Maths ? History ? Shorter lunches ?
What's next on the list ? A spot of Urdu perhaps ?
At the moment, I'm not too sure of their reasons for doing this, when they could have just as easily added French or German instead.
I don't see anything "wrong" in this as such, however, I don't think that it should be done just to appease the local Polish population.
Also, while I don't want to sound like the link-police, RN, if you want to give the pot a good stir, it's a good idea to provide the link to the article you're getting your information from :-)
I don't really understand why you made this thread.
You oppose this, ok, I could have guessed that.
But you are posting this article on a Polish forums. Where I expect it to be looked at either with indifference or with contentment at the treatment of Polish foreign nationals in other countries.
Yes, yes, we know you want all Poles out of Ireland RevokeNice and that teaching them Polish will make them feel at home and according to you Ireland was, is and never will be their home.
And after all of that, i still don't know why you bothered posting this.
It's not as though they can increase the number of hours they can teach, so Polish lessons must be replacing something. What will they be doing less of ? Grammar ? Reading ? Maths ? History ? Shorter lunches ?
Polish will be just another option for a foreign language, it will not have to replace anything.
So instead of having just the option of Spanish, French and German, Polish will also be available.
Heres the link, new.u.tv/News/Primary-schools-to-teach-Polish/5bc4a7d9-0c6e-4a1d-a791-4c8c1d19ca14
Piorun
On the contrary, this proves my entire point, the Polish population in Ireland carving out little Polands across the island. Why go home when you have created a replica of Poland in Ireland?
Polish language taught to your children. Polish shops, clubs, organisations, sports teams. Polish food and drink. Only interact with Polish people.
Pros Better wages. Better welfare entitlements. Better standard of living.
Make no mistake, this is a modern plantation of Ireland.
I don't really understand why you made this thread.
You oppose this, ok, I could have guessed that.
But you are posting this article on a Polish forums.
He has a view and as he lives there, I think hearing him out is reasonable.
I'm sure he could fine plenty of websites where he could "preach to the choir", however, he posts here where at least he will be given a good run for his money.
Polish will be just another option for a foreign language, it will not have to replace anything.
So instead of having just the option of Spanish, French and German, Polish will also be available.
Thanks I hadn't realised that. That makes a bit more sense, however, the article doesn't mention how this has gone down with the parents of Irish children.
Thanks for the link.
the Polish population in Ireland carving out little Polands across the island.
I hear what you're saying, but I hope people see sense and but the breaks on as that way lies the ghetto of the future.
Polish language have been thought to young Poles everywhere there is Polish community. Somehow they did not carve out little Poland in all those countries, look at US. If it's Polish it dose not mean “No Irish Allowed”. Join the team play football, enjoy the beer who knows you might even like it.
I post here to get an oppossing view, so to speak. To be frank, the argument for mass immigration is **** poor at best.
The Poles are living in ghettos at present, at their own discretion I may add. There are Polish ghettos all over the country. There are apartment blocks consisting of 90% Polish nationals.
It is not something we can avoid, it is something we are living with at present.
They have no wish to integrate, if they did surely they would be learning Irish?
Piorun
Another idiotic comparison between the USA and Ireland. The USA is over 100 times the size of Ireland. The state, Montana, has half the population of Ireland yet is twice the size. You are not comparing like with like. Also, just ask the Native Americans how immigration into their country went, if you can find one.
I do play football, with the Irish lads I grew up with. I do drink beer, with the Irish lads I grew up with. I have no interest in befriending people who view my country as an ATM machine. Ireland is nation, not a charity shop for the worlds nomads.
Finally, "No Irish Wanted"signs are still alive and well, in Poland.
They have no wish to integrate, if they did surely they would be learning Irish?
Just out of curiosity, how many people in Northern Ireland speak Irish as their first language?
Infact, on a day to day basis, how many people in the Republic speak Irish as their first language.
I am not having a go, just curious, I have lots of friends from both sides of the border and, even in the company of other Irish people, they seem to speak in English all the time.
Over 100,000 people speak it every day in the Republic, stats are not available for the six counties. Some of the squatters up north speak Ulster Scots.
It is a shame so few speak it, mass immigration will kill the language dead. Another bit of enrichment
This should be a startling experience for children* - and I would be curious to know how they're going to manage to teach it (effectively) ...
oh, and what "enhanced earning power" it will give them in later life (presuming it's not just to let them understand what k*rrrrrrrrr** means as they hear it muttered in the playground)
*re the whole idea of declensions / conjugations / whatever
oh ... and this bit: "Northern Ireland primary schools " ... would those be Catholic primary schools or Protestant primary schools ?
overall : what a strange notion ... (but is Ms R not given to strange notions? how many grammar schools do they have by now setting their own entrance tests?)
p.s. i think the Protestant schools should be forced to teach Irish, but that's just my 2p-worth :)
It is a shame so few speak it, mass immigration will kill the language dead
It is a shame, it is one of my biggest regrets is never having the option to speak Gaelic at school.
Scottish Gaelic is all but dead (except on the far West Coast where they are trying to revive it), I don't think it was mass immigration that did that though. Just young people and the way that they think. They would probably much rather speak the same language as their rap singers and paris hiltons. Not wanting to say English as such, because, well the last time someone young sent me a text, it's really nothing like English.
The prods rule NI, the Shinners take the scraps they are given. The GFA was the ultimate victory for the prods and a defeat in the fullest sense for the bearded one and his followers. And it will all come crashing down in the next few years.
It's part of the bigger process of globalisation. Mark my words, stronger efforts will be made to link the EU to the US. Teaching Polish is natural enough if you consider the level of immigrants but it may appear as a plantation.
We had French and German for so long in Britain but very few actually went on to use it. Polish has the potential to be much bigger and Irish school pupils will be the better for it.
It is a plantation. The Irish will learn Irish, the squatters will learn French or Spanish and all will go home to their respective enclaves. A community within a community.
Just what NI needed, another ethnic group fighting for their share of the pie. Absolute bloody madness.
You predicted a violent backlash the other night, Seanus. I laughed it off at the time, but you could well be proven right.
I wasn't the only one that predicted it, Mister H did just after me. Isn't it time that the traditional 3 foreign languages were expanded (French, German and Spanish)? Polish, whether some like it or not, is spreading its wings and linguistic spreading is a natural development as Poland looks to find its voice in the EU.
Yes, Poland is a super power alright. We are building a second airport here in Dublin to deal with all the Irish people emigrating to the super power that is Poland.
Cop on, it is as relevant as Austrian. Not at all. The only reason it is becoming main stream in the UK and Ireland is because Polish citizens are entering en masse.
English,German, and French are the only three languages worth a wank in the EU.
The prods rule NI, the Shinners take the scraps they are given. The GFA was the ultimate victory for the prods and a defeat in the fullest sense for the bearded one and his followers. And it will all come crashing down in the next few years.
I for one, cannot wait.
RevokeNice
Shinners? I'm lost here I'm afraid. I'm one of those 'prods from NI' - the madness there encouraged me to leg it years ago.
Is it likely the schools will make any better job of teaching it than French/German? Things could have improved beyond recognition in the /cough/ years since I left ... perhaps.
French and German have been the mainstays but that doesn't mean that change can't come about. The net casting process is well underway. You can't say that the Irish won't have an affiliation with Poland and the Poles in the future. Poland has been active in many exchange programmes and part of this is facilitating linguistic development. Language is power. Knowing 3 languages has helped me. Even my French from school isn't completely redundant as there is a French teacher at the school I work for.
Expand their minds, RN, Cardno is right about this. Even if they don't become proficient, you are starting them at the right age and sowing seeds.
Sinn Fein assembly members. Gerry Adams and has band of merry men(and women).
The only way to learn a foreign language is to try and speak it on a regular basis. Forty minutes writing it every second day wont achieve much(we only remember 10% of what we are taught).
Foreign exchange programmes should be introduced. If a child spent a month in France, doing schoolwork in French, I guarantee their skills in that language would improve ten fold.
Seanus
How many times do I have to repeat this, there is no chance in hell of Irish kids learning Polish. The catholics will learn Irish, the prods will learn French, Spanish, German or Ulster Scots. The only ones learning Polish will by the children of Polish parents.
Expand their minds, RN, Cardno is right about this. Even if they don't become proficient, you are starting them at the right age and sowing seeds.
Are those seeds not falling in very stony ground? Can anything in the way of usual expanding happen when the entire school system is still split down religious lines?
guess i'm a pessimist and still waiting for the day when the society can stop pretending it's anything other than capital-W wierd.
Its not as a clear as you make out, no, but I am using simple terms as readers here will not be very clued in on the situation.
Anyway, NI needs mass immigration like a hole in the head. Eventually it will reach breaking point. If the Poles had any interest in integrating they would be happy for their kids to learn Irish, instead they push for their native tongue to be taught in schools.
