Capital projects get €135m [IrishTimes]
- Published: 11 May 2011
INVESTMENT: THE GOVERNMENT yesterday pledged an additional € 135 million to invest in “worthwhile and necessary” capital projects as part of its strategy.
In total € 4.6 billion has been allocated for capital expenditure in 2011, with the additional sum of € 135 million to be funded by a reallocation of €106 million from existing resources and € 29 million from the introduction of the levy on pension funds.
The funds will be invested in schools, local and regional roads and the national energy retrofitting programme. There will be an emphasis on “minor” capital works and away from new build projects as the former tend to be more employment intensive.
Given that an average of eight to 12 direct jobs are created per €1 million of capital expenditure, between 36,800 and 55,200 jobs could be expected to be generated as a result of the initiative, according to the Government. Investment in infrastructure can also lead to indirect job creation.
Schools: Some € 30 million will be made available for school works and associated works in 2011. Some € 20 million of this will be reallocated by the Minister for Education, while the additional €10 million will be made available from the proceeds of the new levy, and will be allocated to projects which are ready to be delivered by schools. The funds will be used to “enhance existing schools, address building defects and, most importantly, provide immediate, labour-intensive employment in localities throughout the country”.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Boy (12) suicidal over torment by pre-teen bullies, says mum [Herald.ie]
- Published: 11 May 2011
A two-year campaign of harassment by primary school bullies has driven a 12-year-old boy to the brink of suicide, his mother has revealed.
The desperate mum reported the intimidation to gardai after his tormenters set up a profile for him on a gay adult website.
The Wicklow woman, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear her son would be subjected to further abuse, told how for the past two years pre-teen bullies have made his life a misery.
"He's been so upset and frustrated and keeps asking 'why me? I'm not the one who did anything wrong. Why are they attacking me?'" she said. "He loves school but he just does not want to go there anymore. "At the lowest point, he has been suicidal."
The case bears similarities to the Phoebe Prince tragedy. The Irish teen killed herself after suffering physical and online abuse at a high school in Massachusetts.
Despite the best efforts of the family and the school, the bullying, which she described as physical and verbal, has escalated over the past two years and even gone online.
Two months ago, after being tipped off by a teacher, the mum discovered the Facebook page which openly mocked the youngster and contained disturbing messages.
"Adult males from everywhere in the world were coming onto the page because links to the page had been put on gay websites and then I really began to wonder 'where do I go now?'
Full Story: www.herald.ie
Student in court for missing school [Independent.ie]
- Published: 10 May 2011
THE STUDENT at the centre of a case brought to court by the National Educational Welfare Board attended school on seven out of 21 days at the end of the spring term.
The parents of the boy on the third year roll of a County Wexford second level school stood accused last week of failure to have their son attend classes.
Appearing for the National Education Welfare board, solicitor Tara Smith agreed to an adjournment until June 15 on the understanding that the family would have a meeting with the NEWB's Paul Breslin and the school principal.
Appearing for the parents, solicitor Peter Crean pointed out that medical certificates were available to cover some of the 14 days when the teenager was marked absent last term.
Ms. Smith accepted that there were valid reasons for some of the no-shows.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Teacher's Pet [IrishTimes]
- Published: 10 May 2011
An insider's guide to education
* The Government is due to unveil its jobs initiative today, and Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn will be briefing the press about how the education system will contribute to recovery.The Government is due to unveil its jobs initiative today, and Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn will be briefing the press about how the education system will contribute to recovery.There is much to be done. It was fascinating to hear the head of an Irish high-tech recruitment company on Newstalk’s breakfast programme last week talking about his difficulty in finding Irish graduates with the necessary skills.
Justin Keatinge of Version 1, who has just announced plans to create 180 jobs, said his company often struggled to fill IT vacancies. There have also been complaints from big employers about how hard it is to recruit multilingual graduates.
How long must we wait for progress? Students take technology at Leaving Cert, but there are no incentives to boost take-up beyond its current meagre level. As for computer skills, Ireland’s school IT infrastructure ranks among the worst in the OECD. As for language skills, there are are still no orals in Junior Cert foreign-language courses and almost no foreign-language instruction at primary level.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
15,900 extra education and training places and €40 million for school works projects announced by Minister for Education and Skills as part of Jobs Initiative [DES Press Release]
- Published: 10 May 2011
Almost 16,000 training and education places, as well as €40 million in funding for building works for schools have been announced by Minister for Education and Skills, Mr. Ruairi Quinn T.D., today as part of the Government's Jobs Initiative.
Speaking today Minister Quinn said, "The Programme for Government pledged to deliver an additional 15,000 places in training, work experience and educational opportunities within our first 100 days in office. I am very pleased that the measures contained in today's Jobs Initiative will exceed this commitment and provide those seeking employment with an additional 20,900 places, with the majority coming from my own department."
The Department of Education and Skills will provide 15,900 education and training places across a spectrum of programmes:
- 6,000 places in the FÁS Specific Skills Training programme
- 5,900 places in the Higher Education Springboard programme
- 3,000 places in the Back to Education Initiative programme
- 1,000 places in Post Leaving Cert Courses.
These places are being funded through the redeployment of some financial resources within the Department and an additional €8.3 million from the Exchequer.
Welcoming the announcement, Minister of State with Responsibility for Skills and Training, Ciarán Cannon T.D., said "These additional training and education places will enable more unemployed people to up-skill and re-skill so they can effectively compete for jobs in the labour market."
On the capital side, Minister Quinn announced that €40 million will be made available through the Jobs Initiative to fund 374 primary and post primary school building projects.
Full Story: www.education.ie
