DITSU & DIT Oifig na Gaeilge Sign Historic Memorgandum of Understanding

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From L-R: DITSU President, Boni Odoemene, Bain Úsáid Aisti student, Aoife Nic Artáin and DIT Oifigeach na Gaeilge Siobhán Nic Gaoithín

Twelve years after the beginning of  Oifig na Gaeilge, DIT Students’ Union are the latest to embrace the increased use of the language into the broader student community in Ireland.

In January, DITSU president Boni Odoemene and DIT Irish Language Officer, Siobhán Nic Gaoithín signed an MOU in support of increasing the use of Irish language within the DIT campus. Before 2006, there was minimal Irish language provision in the sense of services, events or scholarships within DIT campuses.

The role of Oifig na Gaeilge is to support the students studying at DIT to use the Irish language more, including classes running across five different campuses. There are also opporunties for both students and staff at DIT to get Irish language qualification via a scholarship. One of the reasons for the MOU is to get as many people learning Irish again, and there is an opportunity to get the European certificate in Irish. There are several events set up across the campus such as the ‘BÚA’ Initiative – ‘Bain Úsáid Aisti’ – ‘Use Irish in DIT’, where eight students are organising events in their local campuses to promote the use of Irish across DIT.

One of the students in the program – Aoife Nic Artáin, who is taking part in the initiative as a BIMM student and a recipient of the scholarship of 500 Euro provided to students that take part in the initiative has this to say:

I went to an all Irish school my whole life, before coming to college and for my first two years, it was hard to find people who speak Irish and what events to go to But now, and this program has made it very easy for me to communicate in Irish with other students and I find it easy to communicate with others in the language. Last year in November, we went to the House of the Oireachtas, and it was very good to engage with others who use the language.

In the same light, Oifigeach na Gaeilge, Siobhán added that she is optimistic about the future of the Irish language at DIT. The signing of the memorandum suggests that DITSU would have an Irish language policy as regards communication, posters, and on the DITSU website. This would further foster the commitment of the union to engaging with Irish language students in DIT via the use of the language. She also foresees the widespread use of Oifig na Gaeilge services among DIT students, with a greater amount of services being offered in Irish in the near future. She stressed that she looks forward to a time when “…the use of the Irish language will not be something students will be embarrassed of, but something that can be celebrated and used freely within the college”. She is optimistic about the potential for the use of the language over the long-term in DIT.

DITSU president, Boni Odoemene, was also very enthusiastic about the historic agreement signed with Oifig na Gaeilge. “In 2016, when I came into office, one of the mandates by student council is the setting up of a memorandum of understanding with Oifig na Gaeilge”, he stated. “The mandate was completed last year, and I am happy to have signed it off today”. The union leader affirmed that he was happy that DITSU was engaging with the language, and was optimistic about the potential that the Irish language would have to students. “This MOU will bring about increased interaction between DITSU and Oifig na Gaeilge, and the average student can engage with the culture and language better via this medium”.

© DITSU News 2018, Oluwasegun Seriki

SÍNÍONN DITSU & OIFIG NA GAEILGE DIT MEABHRÁN TUISCEANA STAIRIÚIL

Dáta: 22/01/2018

Dhá bhliain déag i ndiaidh do DIT Oifig na Gaeilge a bhunú, is é Aontas na Mac Léinn DIT an dream is déanaí le méadú úsáid na Gaeilge i measc phobal na mac léinn in Éirinn a ghlacadh chucu féin ar bhealach níos leithne. Shínigh Uachtarán DITSU, Boni Odoemene, agus Oifigeach na Gaeilge DIT, Siobhán Nic Gaoithín, MOU Dé Luain, 23 Eanáir, chun tacú le húsáid na Gaeilge a mhéadú laistigh de champais DIT. Roimh 2006, ba bheag an soláthar Gaeilge a bhí ann maidir le seirbhísí, imeachtaí nó scoláireachtaí laistigh de champais DIT.

Grianghraf: Ó C-D (Uachtarán DITSU, Boni Odoemene, mac léinn de chuid Bain Úsáid Aisti DIT, Aoife Nic Artáin agus Oifigeach na Gaeilge DIT, Siobhán Nic Gaoithín)

Is é an ról atá ag Oifig na Gaeilge ná tacú leis na mic léinn atá ag déanamh staidéir in DIT a gcuid Gaeilge a úsáid níos minice, le thart ar ocht (8) rang ar siúl trasna cúig champas éagsúla. Más mac léinn nó ball foirne thú in DIT, tá deiseanna ann cáilíocht Ghaeilge a bhaint amach le scoláireachtaí a chuirtear ar fáil. Is é ceann de na cúiseanna leis an MOU ná méadú a dhéanamh ar líon na ndaoine a fhoghlaimíonn agus a úsáideann an Ghaeilge, agus tá deis curtha ar fáil chomh maith an Teastas Eorpach sa Ghaeilge a bhaint amach. Cuirtear roinnt mhaith imeachtaí ar siúl ar fud champais DIT ar nós an Tionscnamh ‘BÚA’ – ‘Bain Úsáid Aisti’ – ‘Úsáid Gaeilge in DIT’, áit a bhfuil ochtar mac léinn ag eagrú imeachtaí ina gcuid campas áitiúil chun úsáid na Gaeilge a chur chun cinn ar fud DIT.

Is í Aoife Nic Artáin, duine de na mic léinn atá ag glacadh páirte sa tionscnamh mar mhac léinn BIMM agus is faighteoir í den scoláireacht de 500 Euro a chuirtear ar fáil do mhic léinn ag glacadh páirte. Bhí an méid seo le rá aici faoin tionscnamh:

D’fhreastail mé ar Ghaelscoil agus ar Ghaelcholáiste sular tháinig mé chuig an gcoláiste agus le linn mo chéad dhá bhliain, bhí sé deacair dom teacht ar dhaoine a labhraíonn an Ghaeilge agus freastal ar imeachtaí ach anois, leis an gclár seo, tá sé i bhfad níos éasca dom cumarsáid a dhéanamh as Gaeilge le mic léinn eile agus braithim go bhfuil sé níos fusa cumarsáid a dhéanamh le daoine eile sa teanga chomh maith. Thugamar cuairt ar Thithe an Oireachtais mí na Samhna seo caite agus bhí sé an-mhaith aithne a chur ar dhaoine eile a úsáideann an teanga.”

Ar an gcaoi chéanna, dúirt Siobhán, Oifigeach na Gaeilge, go bhfuil sí dóchasach faoi thodhchaí na Gaeilge in DIT. Tugann síniú an mheabhráin le fios go mbeidh polasaí Gaeilge ag DITSU maidir le cúrsaí cumarsáide, póstaeir, agus ar shuíomh gréasáin DITSU. Chuirfeadh sé seo go mór le tiomantas an aontais teagmháil is cumarsáid a dhéanamh le mic léinn DIT trí mheán na Gaeilge. Tá sí dóchasach leis go mbainfidh mic léinn DIT úsáid níos minice as seirbhísí Oifig na Gaeilge agus seirbhísí níos ginearálta trí mheán na Gaeilge as seo amach. Dúirt sí go bhfuil sí ag tnúth mór leis an lá “… nuair nach mbeidh náire ar mhic léinn ceist a chur an bhfuil seirbhís Ghaeilge ar fáil, ach go mbeidh sé mar ghnáthchleachtas an teanga a úsáid taobh istigh den choláiste.” Tá sí dóchasach maidir leis na féidearthachtaí a bhaineann le húsáid na teanga go fadtréimhseach in DIT.

 

Bhí Uachtarán DITSU, Boni Odoemene, an-díograiseach freisin faoin gcomhaontú stairiúil atá sínithe le hOifig na Gaeilge. “Sa bhliain 2016, nuair a thosaigh mé ag obair san oifig, ba é ceann de na sainorduithe a bhí ag comhairle na mac léinn ná meabhrán tuisceana a bhunú le hOifig na Gaeilge “, a dúirt sé. “Críochnaíodh an sainordú anuraidh, agus táim sásta é a shíniú inniu”. Dhearbhaigh ceannaire an aontais go raibh

sé sásta go raibh DITSU ag plé leis an teanga, agus bhí sé dóchasach faoin tionchar a bheadh ag an nGaeilge ar na mic léinn. “Cinnteoidh an MOU seo idirghníomhaíocht mhéadaithe idir DITSU agus Oifige na Gaeilge, agus beidh an gnáthmhac léinn in ann dul i ngleic leis an gcultúr agus leis an teanga ar bhealach níos fearr tríd an meán seo“.

© DITSU News 2018, Oluwasegun Seriki

 

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Oluwasegun Seriki is a 3rd year international PhD student at DIT Bolton street. He writes on lifestyle, travel and youth-led entrepreneurship and of course, he loves travelling! His passion is creative writing and he publishes his musings and meditations on life under the theme “Musings of a Broken Man”. He can be reached via email at seriseg@outlook.com

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