Teacher's Pet [IrishTimes]
- Published: 15 March 2011
An insider's guide to education
* After the sleepy Mary Coughlan era, new Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn has hit the ground running at the Department of Education in Marlborough St.
At a meeting with secretary general Brigid McManus last Thursday afternoon, he set out no less than 12 separate priority areas. And he wants swift action on issues such as school patronage, the literacy crisis and school buildings.
Quinn has received a very warm welcome from across the education sector. The new Minister, who spent three years as education spokesman, knows all the main players and understands all the key issues.
At this stage, the teacher unions – where support for Labour is in the DNA – see Quinn as “their man’’ who can be relied upon to do their bidding.
But make no mistake – Quinn is a formidable and independent figure who will do things his way. He has the potential to make a real, lasting impact on the education sector.
What are this main priorities? During his contribution to the Oireachtas Education Committee last year he raised some of the big issues he would like to see addressed.
These included:
– Why has Ireland more primary schools per capita (3,200) than any other OECD state?
– How much has been invested in the teaching of the Irish language? He called this “the single biggest policy failure’’ of the Irish system.
– How much time has been spent in faith formation in primary schools?
– Why are five teacher-training colleges controlled by religious orders?
* The number of candidates in the race to be the next provost of TCD is down to five after Prof Robin Coningham of Durham University withdrew last week.
Coningham, one of only two external candidates, said he has taken the decision “as it has become increasingly difficult to sustain the running of a credible and public eight-week election campaign in another country alongside maintaining equal credibility discharging the daily responsibilities of my role as pro-vice chancellor, active researcher and supervisor, and parent here in the UK.’’
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
