Education is a “fundamental human right” [educationmatters.ie]
- Published: 01 May 2011
EDUCATION - KEY TO THE FUTURE
“...The future of education cannot be left to the economists, the technocrats and the corporate voices. So far these influential voices have got it wrong.
“...Teachers want to be on the road to recovery. ...We recognise the need to contribute to the rebuilding of our country and to maximise the strengths of the education service.
“But we will not be manipulated by a preoccupation with the economy at the expense of our public services. We will stand up for a quality education service for all.
“We believe education is a fundamental human right... Hacking away at education resources – either blatantly or discreetly – will prove to be counterproductive for the State.
WE MUST INVEST IN EDUCATION
“...To develop as a knowledge economy, which has been a national policy platform for more than a decade, we must invest in education.
"To compete with other high-performing knowledge economies in Europe and elsewhere, we must invest in education.
Full Story: www.educationmatters.ie
Pupils failed by teachers as much as by flawed system [Independent.ie]
- Published: 01 May 2011
RUAIRI Quinn played a blinder at the three teachers' annual conferences last week. It helps when you're articulate, of course. It also helps when you're visibly passionate about education, and our new Minister for Education is clearly both. But he only said one thing as fact: the cuts will not be reversed; in all probability they will be deepened, because three into two won't go: we're a bankrupt nation with nothing in the kitty.
The rest was magnificent rhetoric . . . or, depending on your point of view, a lot of feel-good waffle. But the minister didn't have much choice. He was addressing three sets of people who are seriously demoralised for many good and solid reasons, and he was clearly aiming to get them back on side. If he succeeded (but there is no proof that he has) it will make life a good deal easier when he attempts to put into operation his plans for an inclusive, non-partisan education system which will begin building our current system at least to adequacy in international terms.
And therein lies the problem. Mr Quinn told the teachers they were wonderful: specifically, in his closing remarks to the secondary teachers' union, he said, "You do a magnificent job. You are frequently ignored. You are frequently undermined . . . but not by me." The men and women listening to him must have felt gratified.
But the fact is that teachers have already been thoroughly undermined by the new minister, and justifiably so.
Because since taking office he has been pointing out almost daily that we have a failed and shamed education system that is not producing either academic excellence or the life skills which might help people cope with a lack of academic qualifications. The system is at fault, certainly, a system which for nearly half a century has relentlessly pursued a numbers game which gave us on paper excellent percentages of "highly qualified" school leavers and graduates. Except that they didn't measure up on anything except paper, and we have been blind and deaf to international tables as well as international employers who made our inadequacy clear.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Our education failures cannot be put on backburner [Independent.ie]
- Published: 01 May 2011
DISCUSSIONS: Delegates at the TUI conference in Tralee, Co Kerry. Photo: Domnick Walsh "It is a higher joy to teach than to be taught."
-- R J Baughan
Forgive me if I got it wrong, but I thought teaching was about imparting knowledge and equipping the student with the skills necessary to cope with the ever-changing circumstances of today's society, and to give the best possible advantage.
Listening to the reports coming out of the teachers' conferences in Tralee and Cork last week, one would be forgiven for thinking that the only matter of interest to teachers was money. The whole theme of the conferences seemed to be about teachers' pay, state funding in private schools, embargoes on promotions and recruitment and nothing about the education system and its fitness' for purpose.
I know the teachers' unions are, well, unions, but surely they should have some care for the ideology attached to teaching? Surely there should have been a sense of intellectual excitement among these well educated people, putting forward ideas and suggestions relating to the curriculum and systems of education? No, it was all back-pocket stuff.
Education and Skills Minister Ruairi Quinn must have felt a bit like the man talking to the apocryphal actress who says, "Oh, but enough about me, let's talk about you. What did you think of my performance?"
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Why we’re losing faith in state education [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 30 April 2011
TWO years ago, a friend of mine moved house. She and her husband are living in south-east London. Their son was three years of age, and another son was on the way.
They wanted to buy within reach of a Catholic school. Research, through friends, led them to conclude that Catholic schools were best. Neither my friend nor her husband are religious. They don’t attend mass regularly. Their choice was a belief that Catholic schools were better than state schools.
Catholic schools in England represent an elite form of education. It’s different in this country, because the Catholic Church has a near-monopoly on primary education. The Church controls 92% of Ireland’s 3,200 primary schools.
That will change over the coming years, but the danger is that a two-tiered system will emerge, with Catholic schools representing the upper tier. It’s difficult to believe that Jesus Christ would have approved of such a societal shift.
Full Story: www.examiner.ie
Reforms in school education must be taken in right spirit [IrishTimes]
- Published: 30 April 2011
Curriculum changes must not be just another cynical cost-cutting exercise
THERE ARE really good reasons for Junior Certificate reform, and really bad ones. The worst reason would be a desire to save money. It is expensive to set, supervise and correct 10 to 12 exams for 15 year olds, not to mention the costs of teaching them in the first place.
In theory, there are 26 subjects for examination in the Junior Cert, including, rather quaintly, typewriting, but most schools don’t offer that many. It is still generally agreed that the curriculum is overloaded. Students “do” too many subjects.
However, abolishing the current format simply to cut down on costs would still be foolish and short-sighted. Not that those patient people at the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) are suggesting anything so drastic.
Years of dealing with procrastinating ministers have taught them to offer a menu of options, ranging from the mild to the radical. Mind you, they must be rather startled to find themselves dealing with a Minister who seems to want to change everything at once.
Nonetheless, at one end of the range offered by the NCCA, you have a modest proposal to decrease the number of subjects for traditional examination, and increasing other options for assessment, such as portfolios.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
