Teacher's Pet [IrishTimes]
- Published: 26 April 2011
An insider’s guide to education
The Ruairí Quinn Revolution is continuing apace at the Department of Education.
The new Minister is at his desk every morning by 8am, relishing the task of transforming Ireland’s education system.
Despite his age (Quinn celebrated his 65th birthday recently ) the new Minister is a man in a hurry. He has let it be known he has only two and a half years to achieve real progress – before the mid-term Cabinet reshuffle.
Last week Quinn finalised a strong management team, with the appointment of Deirdre Grant as communications director.
A former broadcast journalist with an intuitive understanding of the media business, Grant will be a key figure in driving perhaps the most ambitious agenda ever set by an education minister.
Within the department, Quinn sees secretary general Brigid McManus and much-lauded assistant secretary Martin Hanevy as key allies in the battles ahead.
Quinn himself has been encouraged by the response to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism. The expected fire and brimstone from the hierarchy never materialised. And Quinn’s tactic of setting ambitious targets (a 50 per cent transfer rate for Catholic schools) helped to concentrate minds.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
