Ó Clochartaigh calls for education cuts to be reversed [advertiser.ie]
- Published: 03 February 2011
All candidates in the General Election must pledge to reverse the cuts to the DEIS Rural Co-ordinators if elected to government.
This is the view of Sinn Féin Galway West candidate Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, who was speaking following the announcement of the cuts.
Mr Ó Clochartaigh has described the cuts as “a very short term saving which will have devastating long term implications if implemented”.
He said the cuts will leave many children who are in danger of falling out of the education system “without essential support” and this will create “social problems which will come back to haunt us”.
“This is another attack on education and rural life,” says Mr Ó Clochartaigh. “It shows the attitude of the larger parties in our country, that the more vulnerable people in our society are put under pressure in times of fiscal restraint.”
Full Story: www.advertiser.ie
Time for Enda Kenny to reconsider misguided policy on ‘compulsory Irish’ - Mary Coughlan [fiannafail.ie]
- Published: 03 February 2011
Time for Enda Kenny to reconsider misguided policy on ‘compulsory Irish’ - An Tánaiste Mary Coughlan
- FG candidates must state publicly whether they support policy in advance of manifesto launch
Speaking in Donegal today, Tánaiste Mary Coughlan called on Deputy Enda Kenny to clarify his party’s position in relation to the abolition of compulsory Irish in the Leaving Certificate.
“Enda Kenny obviously hasn't thought this through and some of his own party members have acknowledged as much. Any erosion of the status of the Irish language in the education system would be a retrograde step. Irish should remain a core part of the education of our young people.
“Experience in the UK shows that an attempt to make the learning of languages optional, leads to a significant decline in the number of people studying languages. Furthermore, any change in the status of the Irish language in the Leaving Cert would have serious implications for the viability of Irish Summer Colleges in the Gaeltacht which are so vital to the economy of the Gaeltacht and to the growth of the language.’
The Tánaiste called on Deputy Kenny to now drop his misguided policy on downgrading the teaching of Irish in our secondary schools.
“There is no logic behind this but Mr. Kenny has persisted with this policy since 2007. Fianna Fáil believes that he was wrong then and we believe he is wrong now. We are not alone. His own candidates, the leader of the Labour Party, and key Irish language organisations, are all opposed to this policy.
If he is able to shift his position in relation to budgetary targets and the number of jobs he suggests his NewEra plan can create, then he should do likewise for our national language.’
Full Story: www.fiannafail.ie
Child obesity a ballooning problem as one-quarter start school overweight [IrishTimes]
- Published: 03 February 2011
LONDON LETTER: Fast-food outlets and incorrect notions of ideal body size pose big threats to child health
A WALK down one street in Oldham, a struggling town near Manchester where one in five of 10-year-old children is officially overweight, reveals the crisis of obesity facing the population and health services.
In one half-mile stretch of the Huddersfield Road, between St James’s Church and the Ripponden Road, there are 19 takeaways of all kinds, from fish-and-chip shops to curry and kebab houses, with more seeking to open. “Every time a shop closes, some fast-food operator wants to open,” said Oldham councillor Rod Blyth this week.
“When you get that many, the number of people on the street in daytime falls away. The street dies off. It is only alive at night.”
Last night, Oldham council met to consider a plan to claw back some of the ground lost in recent years, agreeing that, in future, no more than two fast-food shops can be located adjacent to each other, and that the streetscape should be broken up by other types of shops.
But another element of the plan has grabbed local headlines – its call for a £1,000 levy from fast-food shops to go into a healthy-eating promotion fund. Inevitably, the headline writers dubbed it “a fat tax”.
The council does not have power to impose the tax, though it will lobby Westminster for a change of law to allow it to do so.
The decision to grant planning permission for a Kentucky Fried Chicken on Huddersfield Road last summer was the final straw for local Church of England rector Paul Plumpton, who has to clear his churchyard of litter and vomit every morning.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
TEACHERS MEET IN UL TO DISCUSS CHANGES TO PAY AND PENSIONS [live95fm.ie]
- Published: 02 February 2011
Limerick teachers are being invited to a public meeting in UL this evening to highlight plans to cut the pay and pension entitlements of new entrants to the profession.
New teachers and part-time teachers who break their service could see their pay slashed by 16 percent if the proposals are introduced.
Three teachers unions, the ASTI, the TUI and the INTO are urging all teachers, retired teachers and student teachers to attend the meeting at the Jean Monet Theatre in UL at 8pm this evening.
Annette Dolan, Deputy General Secretary of the TUI says public representatives and election candidates are also welcome and the unions will be making it clear how they feel about the proposals:
Full Story: www.live95fm.ie
Politics to become a Leaving Cert subject [Independent.ie]
- Published: 02 February 2011
EDUCATION chiefs are planning to bring politics to the classroom, writes John Walshe.
Knowing how TDs and senators are elected could net students valuable 'points' in the Leaving Cert in future, the Irish Independent has learned.
The new subject, titled 'Politics and Society', is aimed at making young people more active citizens.
One of the first tasks facing the next Education Minister will be to decide when the new optional subject will be introduced. The consultation process has revealed huge support among young people and teachers for its introduction.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
