Teacher's Pet [IrishTimes]
- Published: 21 September 2010
An insider’s guide to education
- Minister for Education Mary Coughlan delivered her best speech since taking office at the Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA) conference last week. Speaking without notes, the Minister gave the first sign she is prepared to be something more than a cheerleader for Irish education.
Echoing the words of former Intel chief Craig Barrett, she signalled that we should dust off any complacency about Irish education and aspire to be better. She also backed a move away from rote learning in our exams and towards more critical thinking. And she spoke in visionary terms about new methodologies and a streamlined education system delivering more from fewer resources.
What all this will mean for education policy is another question. Plans to reform the Leaving Cert are still on hold – for some bizarre reason Junior Cert reform has been given priority. And any drive for more efficiency would put the Minister on a collision course with the immensely powerful teaching unions.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
