Teachers told to refuse intern jobs [schooldays.ie]
- Published: 22 November 2011
Members of one of the country's largest teaching unions have been told they should not accept positions under the government's JobBridge internship programme.
The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) has urged newly qualified educators to avoid the scheme and instead build their experience through temporary work covering sick or maternity leave, the Irish Independent reports.
Spokesman for the group Peter Mullan was quoted by the publication as saying: "There are a number of reasons why people are against [the internship scheme], a lot of people think it's exploitative."
Full Story: www.schooldays.ie
Minister in interview with Dr Tony Hall (2) [educationmatters.ie]
- Published: 22 November 2011
Q. The recently-published EU Kids Online report questions the notion of the "digital native", pointing to a potential lack of digital literacy, and passivity in the way young people conceptualise and use technology.
The recent OECD report on ICT (Information and Communications Technology) in Initial Teacher Education recommends the development of clearly articulated policy that will effectively support teachers in the use of ICT in schools.
- What is your vision to ensure young people and their teachers have the necessary ICT competences and skills to participate creatively and fully in the Knowledge Economy/ Knowledge Society?
- Are there any new initiatives, investments or curriculum developments that you plan to introduce to improve ICT in schools?
A. The Government is committed to ensuring that ICT is integrated into the curriculum and education policy development.
For example, one of the objectives of the junior cycle reforms is to promote increased creativity and innovation and better embed ICT across the curriculum. We are also considering the potential to use ePortfolios as a part of the assessment process.
Taken together the reforms will present further opportunities for strengthening ICT across the curriculum.
At school level, we are also continuing to invest in professional development for teachers with 12,000 ICT related training places provided in 2010 alone.
Full Story: www.educationmatters.ie
Minister in interview with Dr Tony Hall (1) [educationmatters.ie]
- Published: 22 November 2011
Q. Like the Stanley Letter/Act in 1831, which effectively founded primary education in Ireland, one of the key developments currently in Irish education is the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector. How important is the consultative process, and inviting all relevant stakeholders to participate in the Forum?
A. Consultation is a key component of the work of the Forum Advisory Group in this very complex area.
At the launch of the Forum written submissions were sought from key stakeholders and all interested parties. The submissions were to be based on three key themes:
- Establishing parental and community demand for diversity;
- Managing the transfer / divesting of patronage;
- diversity within a school or a small number of schools.
Almost 220 written submissions have been received and are available on my Department’s website.
Full Story: www.educationmatters.ie
Teaching union orders members to refuse intern scheme job offers [Independent.ie]
- Published: 21 November 2011
ONE of the country's biggest teaching unions has ordered members not to take jobs in the Government's controversial internship scheme amid suggestions teachers are being exploited.
JobBridge offers internships to unemployed people, who get an additional €50 a week, on top of their social welfare payments, for taking part.
The scheme was extended to schools in September with the Department of Education pointing out that recent teaching graduates need classroom experience to complete their training.
However, it immediately attracted criticism and was described as an "insult (to) and a shame" on the profession as well as being exploitative.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Private schools to face rise in pupil-teacher ratio [schooldays.ie]
- Published: 21 November 2011
Fee-paying schools may be affected by proposals to be unveiled in the next budget that could see class sizes increase for next year, as part of changes to teaching resources.
The Irish Times reports that there will be a two-point increase in the staffing schedule for private secondary schools, which will result in there being one member of staff for every 22 students.
It could also result in the loss of teaching posts at fee-paying establishments, while the 26,000 youngsters in this system may face higher tuition costs, the news provider stated.
More than 530 million euros of government funding has been offered to private schools over the last five years, covering grants for computer equipment and building projects, although education Minister Ruairi Quinn has ended support for capital investment since coming to office.
Full Story: www.schooldays.ie
