State's €100m funding for fee-paying schools 'must end' [Independent.ie]
- Published: 27 April 2011
THE Teachers' Union of Ireland has called for an end to "privileged payments" to fee-paying schools.
A motion passed at the TUI's annual congress in Tralee last night has called for an end to the €100m in state supports paid to fee-paying schools each year.
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has already indicated he is not in favour of ending the practice, which was described yesterday as a "shameful" support of private education for privilege.
"When you have a situation whereby you have extensive and very serious cuts to the education service this payment of €100m to private, fee-paying schools is not tolerable," TUI executive committee member Gerry Quinn told the Irish Independent.
"It's not justifiable and we represent the VEC (vocational education committee) sector which includes some of the most disadvantaged schools in the country and we should be looking to strengthen supports for these students.
"It's the injustice of having these cuts on the one hand and on the other hand the same Government is funding private education."
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Unqualified teachers ban fast-tracked [Independent.ie]
- Published: 27 April 2011
PRIMARY school teachers have threatened to refuse to work in the same school as unqualified staff from September.
The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) yesterday delivered the ultimatum by fast-tracking a ban that they had not planned to implement until 2013.
It prompted a positive response from EducatIon Minister Ruairi Quinn who promised to consider the union's idea of panels of qualified teachers from which principals could source staff for substitute or temporary work.
The INTO decision to bring forward their boycott followed revelations in the Irish Independent this week showing hundreds of persons with no teaching qualifications working in primary schools.
The figures prompted an unscheduled debate at the INTO conference in Sligo yesterday, ending with overwhelming backing for the September boycott.
Newly-qualified Alan Bedford, who has not been able to get enough work to do his 170-day probationary period, gave a sense of their outrage at the use of the phrase "unqualified teacher" when he declared: "I am unqualified pilot."
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Questions Quinn is refusing to answer on FAS [Independent.ie]
- Published: 27 April 2011
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn was asked a series of questions by the Irish Independent about the awarding of a consultancy contract by FAS and his plans for the organisation:
1. Does the minister think it is appropriate for FAS, which has been mired in spending scandals, to spend large sums of money on outside consultants?
2. Does the minister think FAS should be spending such money when the Programme for Government says it will be abolished?
3. How much is the contract worth?
4. Who decided that FAS needed to spend this money on outside consultancy?
5. Who signed off on the contract with Fleishman Hillard?
6. How many other companies tendered for the contract?
7. Who were the other companies who tendered for the contract?
8. What exactly is the contract for?
9. Why couldn't the work have been carried out by internal FAS staff?
10. What are the minister's plans for FAS, considering both he and Fine Gael called for it to be scrapped before the election?
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Ministers cannot forget why they were elected [Independent.ie]
- Published: 27 April 2011
EVEN by the standards of civil service flummery, the reply received by this newspaper from Ruairi Quinn's Department of Education about public relations contract for the training agency FAS fair takes the breath away.
It bears little or no relation to the 15 questions asked by the Irish Independent about the awarding of the six-figure contract to the agency Fleishman Hillard, whose head of consulting, Mark Mortell, is close to Taoiseach Enda Kenny and an architect of Fine Gael's election campaign.
Mr Quinn did not award the contract, which was made by the outgoing Government on election day. Some will see that as odd in itself, but the real oddity is why FAS was held to need an outside PR consultant at all.
The Coalition programme for government says the disgraced training agency will be abolished. The curt answer from the department is not nearly as specific, saying that Mr Quinn is "reviewing options" an answer which will raise suspicions about another policy U-turn.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Quinn fails to explain €300,000 FAS deal [Independent.ie]
- Published: 27 April 2011
EDUCATION Minister Ruairi Quinn last night failed to explain why FAS was allowed to spend €300,000 on a public relations contract -- even as he warned schools that more cuts are on the way.
Mr Quinn failed to clarify why the €300,000 contract was awarded by the controversial organisation which he is promising to break up.
He refused to answer questions from the Irish Independent on his future plans for FAS.
But he is devoting this week to attending teacher conferences where he is warning that painful spending cuts are on the way in education.
Mr Quinn provided no detail and no answers on the PR contract awarded to Fleishman Hillard.
Among the directors at the firm is Mark Mortell, one of the architects of Fine Gael's historic election victory, and a key adviser to Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
