Preasráiteas: Maoiniú os cionn €3 milliún ceadaithe ag an Aire Dara Calleary d’Ollscoil Mhá Nuad le haghaidh Theastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG) agus tionscadail straitéiseacha eile don tréimhse 2025-2028

Press Release: Minister Dara Calleary approves funding of over €3 million for Maynooth University for Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG) and other key projects for the period 2025-28

Eisiúint Meáin

Dé Céadaoin, 10 Meán Fómhair 2025

Maoiniú os cionn €3 milliún ceadaithe ag an Aire Dara Calleary d’Ollscoil Mhá Nuad le haghaidh Theastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG) agus tionscadail straitéiseacha eile don tréimhse 2025-28

• Tá maoiniú €2.3 milliún ceadaithe do Theastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG) le haghaidh na tréimhse ó 2025-26 go 2027-28
• €823,979 san iomlán ceadaithe freisin do Snas.ie, don Teastas i Múineadh na Gaeilge agus don Centre Culturel Irlandais i bPáras.
• Tá Qmarc ALTE bronnta ar TEG faoi dhó, in 2015 agus arís in 2020
• Is é TEG an t-aon chóras neamhspleách teastasaithe atá ar fáil don Ghaeilge.

Inniu (Dé Céadaoin, 10 Meán Fómhair) d’fhógair an tAire Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail agus Gaeltachta, Dara Calleary TD, go bhfuil €3.143 san iomlán á cheadú aige le haghaidh ceithre thionscadal straitéiseacha de chuid Ollscoil Mhá Nuad don tréimhse 2025-26 go 2027-28.

Tá €2,318,899 ceadaithe ag an Aire Calleary le haghaidh Theastas Eorpach na Gaeilge chun scrúduithe caighdeánacha agus teastasú TEG a chur ar fáil d’fhoghlaimeoirí agus d’úsáideoirí oilte Gaeilge, atá ag iarraidh dearbhú neamhspleách a fháil ar a gcumas teanga sa Ghaeilge agus cáilíocht a bhaint amach a bhfuil aitheantas náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta ag baint léi.

Tá TEG ar an bhfód le 20 bliain in 2025-26 agus táthar ag súil go mbeidh 20,000 iarrthóir tar éis na scrúduithe a dhéanamh faoi dheireadh na bliana acadúla sin.

Anuas ar an tacaíocht airgid do TEG, d’fhógair an tAire Calleary freisin maoiniú dar luach €823,979 san iomlán do thrí thionscadal straitéiseacha eile atá á reáchtáil ag Ollscoil Mhá Nuad:

• Snas.ie, suíomh acmhainní teagaisc agus foghlama (€331,079)
• An Teastas i Múineadh na Gaeilge (ar líne) (€293,224)
• Cúrsaí agus imeachtaí Gaeilge sa Centre Culturel Irlandais, Páras (€199,676)

Ag labhairt dó ag ócáid i Maigh Nuad tráthnóna inniu chun 20 bliain de TEG a cheiliúradh, dúirt an tAire Calleary:

‘‘Tá ríméad orm go bhfuil mo Roinn in ann síneadh trí bliana a chur lenár maoiniú do thionscnamh TEG – córas teastasaithe teanga atá tar éis ardchaighdeán a chruthú le 20 bliain anuas. Is é TEG an t-aon chóras neamhspleách teastasaithe atá ar fáil don Ghaeilge, agus é ailínithe ar bhealach trédhearcach leis an bhFráma Tagartha Comónta Eorpach (FTCE) – an creat is mó a úsáidtear go hidirnáisiúnta mar shlat tomhais don chumas teanga. Dá réir sin, tá tábhacht faoi leith le TEG ó thaobh acmhainneacht an phobail agus an státchórais sa teanga a dheimhniú, agus beidh ról lárnach aige in iarrachtaí an Stáit i dtaobh chumasú an phobail sa Ghaeilge sna blianta romhainn.”

Chuir Stiúrthóir Lárionad na Gaeilge in Ollscoil Mhá Nuad, Aoife Ní Ghloinn, fáilte mhór roimh an scéala maoinithe:

“Tá muid an-bhródúil as an obair cheannródaíoch atá déanta ag TEG le 20 bliain anuas chun seirbhís tástála ar ardchaighdeán a chur ar fáil do phobal na Gaeilge, agus tá muid an-bhuíoch den Roinn as an tacaíocht leanúnach don obair. Tacóidh an maoiniú seo le TEG tuilleadh forbairtí a dhéanamh ar an gcóras sa tréimhse trí bliana atá amach romhainn, go háirithe ó thaobh na teicneolaíochta de.”

Is é Lárionad na Gaeilge in Ollscoil Maigh Nuad an t-aon bhall Éireannach den Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE), cumann a bhfuil móreagraíochtaí teanga na hEorpa (leithéidí an Goethe Institut, Cambridge English agus Instituto Cervantes) i measc na mball ann.

Déanann ALTE monatóireacht, bailíochtú staitistiúil agus iniúchadh rialta ar scrúduithe TEG lena chinntiú go bhfuil siad ag teacht leis na caighdeáin is airde agus leis an dea-chleachtas idirnáisiúnta. Tá Qmarc ALTE bronnta ar TEG faoi dhó, i 2015 agus arís i 2020, mar chruthúnas ar fheabhas an chórais.

Le tacaíocht airgid ón Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail agus Gaeltachta, tá Lárionad na Gaeilge in Ollscoil Mhá Nuad i ndiaidh breis is 17,0000 scrúdú TEG a chur ar fáil d’iarrthóirí go dtí seo, ina measc:

• Fostaithe de chuid an státchórais a dhéanann cúrsaí ullmhúcháin ag leibhéil A1-C1 le Gaelchultúr i gcomhar leis an bhForas Riaracháin (OneLearning).
• Baill foirne in eagraíochtaí poiblí a chuireann isteach ar phoist agus ar ardú céime.
• Aistritheoirí faoi oiliúint a dhéanann scrúdú C1 mar riachtanas fágála do na cúrsaí ar fad atá maoinithe faoin Tionscnamh Ardscileanna Gaeilge de chuid na Roinne.
• Iarrthóirí ar chúrsaí ollscoile atá ag iarraidh a gcumas teanga a léiriú le bunriachtanais iontrála a shásamh.
• Múinteoirí Gaeilge i mbunscoileanna agus i meánscoileanna nó teagascóirí Gaeilge in Ollscoileanna in Éirinn atá ag iarraidh a gcuid scileanna teanga a léiriú nó barr feabhais a chur ar na scileanna sin.
• Daltaí idirbhliana i meánscoileanna (T1 agus T2) ar fud na tíre a leanann siollabais TEG, le cur lena gcuid scileanna cumarsáide agus cáilíocht aitheanta a bhaint amach ag leibhéal A2-B2.
• Daoine fásta atá ag iarraidh filleadh ar fhoghlaim na Gaeilge(ar mhaithe le cúrsaí oibre nó le bheith in ann í a úsáid lena gclann sa bhaile) agus a bhfuil spriocanna cinnte ag teastáil uathu mar spreagadh.
• Foghlaimeoirí fásta Gaeilge ar fud an domhain, in áiteanna amhail Páras, Sydney, Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá, Ceanada, srl.

Buntáiste faoi leith a bhaineann leis an gcóras seo ná go dtugann sé cruthúnas neamhspleách d’fhostóirí maidir le cumas teanga agus iad ag roghnú iarrthóirí do phoist nó d’ardú céime. Tá tábhacht faoi leith ag baint leis seo chun spriocanna Achtanna na dTeangacha Oifigiúla, 2003 go 2021 a bhaint amach.

Media Release

Wednesday, 10th September 2025

Minister Dara Calleary approves funding of over €3 million for Maynooth University for Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG) and other key projects for the period 2025-28

• Over €2.3 million for Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG) for the period 2025-26 to 2027-28.
• €823,979 in total also approved for Snas.ie, the Certificate in Teaching of Irish agus the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris.
• TEG has been awarded the ALTE Qmark twice, in 2015 and again in 2020
• TEG is the only independent certification system available for the Irish language.

The Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, today (Wednesday, 10th September) announced that he has approved total funding of €3.143 million for four strategic projects administered by Maynooth University for the period 2025-26 to 2027-28.

The Minister approved funding of €2,318,899 for Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (European Irish Language Certificate) (TEG) to provide standardised examinations and TEG certification for learners and skilled users of Irish, who wish to obtain independent assurance of their language ability and achieve a qualification that is recognised nationally and internationally.

TEG will be in existence for 20 years in 2025-26 and they expect that 20,000 candidates will have taken the exams by the end of that academic year.

As well as the financial package for TEG, Minister Calleary also announced funding of €823,979 in total for three other key projects administered by Maynooth University:

• Snas.ie, the online educational resource hub (€331,079)
• Certificate in Teaching of Irish (online) (€293,224)
• Irish-language programmes and events in the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris (€199,676)

Speaking at an event in Maynooth this evening to celebrate 20 years of TEG, Minister Calleary said:

‘‘I am delighted that my Department is able to extend our funding for the TEG initiative by three years – a language certification system that has established a high standard over the past 20 years. TEG is the only independent certification system available for the Irish language, and is transparently aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) – the most widely used international framework for measuring language proficiency. Accordingly, TEG is of particular importance in terms of confirming the capacity of the public and the state system in the language, and will play a central role in the State’s efforts to empower the public in the Irish language in the years ahead.”

The Director of Lárionad na Gaeilge at Maynooth University, Aoife Ní Ghloinn, warmly welcomed news of the funding:

“We are very proud of the pioneering work that TEG has done over the past 20 years to provide a high-quality testing service to the Irish-speaking community, and we are very grateful to the Department for its continued support for this work. This funding will support TEG in making further developments to the system over the next three years, particularly in terms of technology.”

Lárionad na Gaeilge in Maynooth University is the only Irish member of the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE), an association whose members include major European language organisations (such as the Goethe Institut, Cambridge English and Instituto Cervantes).

ALTE monitors, statistically validates and regularly audits TEG examinations to ensure that they meet the highest standards and international best practice. TEG has been awarded the ALTE Qmark twice, in 2015 and again in 2020, as proof of the excellence of the system.

With financial support from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Lárionad na Gaeilge in Maynooth University has provided over 17,000 TEG exams to candidates to date, including:

• Employees of the civil service who undertake preparatory courses at levels A1-C1 with Gaelchultúr in conjunction with the Institute of Public Administration (OneLearning).
• Staff in public organisations applying for jobs and promotions.
• Trainee translators who undertake the C1 examination as an exit requirement for all courses funded under the Department’s Advanced Irish Language Skills Initiative.
• Applicants to university courses who wish to demonstrate their language ability to meet basic entry requirements.
• Irish teachers in primary and secondary schools or Irish tutors in Universities in Ireland who wish to demonstrate or improve their language skills.
• Transition year students in secondary schools (T1 and T2) across the country who follow TEG syllabuses, to enhance their communication skills and achieve a recognised qualification at level A2-B2.
• Adults who want to return to learning Irish (for work purposes or to be able to use it with their children at home) and who need specific goals as motivation.
• Adult learners of Irish all over the world, in places like Paris, Sydney, the United States of America, Canada, etc.

A particular advantage of this system is that it provides employers with independent proof of language ability when selecting candidates for jobs or promotions. This is of particular importance in achieving the goals of the Official Languages Acts, 2003 to 2021.