IPPN

New Dublin university to be announced this week [tribune.ie]

Published: 09 January 2011

Plans for a merger of four Dublin institutes of technology into a new 'Technical University of Dublin' are expected to be announced in the coming days, the Sunday Tribune has learned.

Under the proposals, Dublin Institute of Technology, Tallaght Institute of Technology, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, and the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown will form an alliance, expected to lead to a full merger in time.

The move, which would be in line with proposals contained in Colm McCarthy's An Bord Snip Nua report, could bring significant cost savings but could also entail significant redundancy costs and redeployment of staff.

There are also serious concerns that, although the plan could lead to new "strategic opportunities", it will be treated primarily as a cost-saving exercise by the government.

Also unclear are the implications for DIT's massive Grangegorman campus redevelopment plan, given that DIT is expected to move to the new site in the coming years.

The announcement of the new Technical University of Dublin Alliance is due to be made in the coming days, most likely in advance of the launch this week of the report of an expert government group set up to examine the education sector.

Full Story: www.tribune.ie

Swine Flu

Published: 09 January 2011

The Swine Flu is once again widespread in Ireland. Children are susceptible to this virus, and schools can be sites of further spread. With this knowledge to hand, it is appropriate for schools to be as prepared as it is possible to be in a constantly evolving and fluid situation. The IPPN Resource Bundle (also available through Principal Advice - Parents & Pupils - Swine Flu) provides guidance for the re-opening of schools to minimise the impact of Swine Flu on the school community.

The following are additional information items provided directly by the DES and HSE.

For further information from IPPN, Click here.

Woods defends abuse redress deal [IrishTimes]

Published: 07 January 2011

Former minister for education Dr Michael Woods has defended his role in the negotiation of a compensation deal with the Catholic Church on institutional abuse.

Dr Woods said the agreement, which saw religious congregations contribute €128 million towards the cost of the compensation scheme for victims, was “the best deal that could have been done at the time”.

“The Government wanted to put the situation right. Those people had been abused by the State under State control…Some of these institutions were fully run by the State,” he told RTÉ Radio this morning.

Although the 2002 agreement capped the church’s liability for institutional child abuse at less than a tenth of its likely €1.3 billion total, Dr Woods said that subsequent examinations of the deal showed “clearly it was the right thing”.

The Dublin North-East TD last night became the latest Fianna Fáil deputy to announce he will not be standing in the forthcoming general election.

Speaking to a party meeting in Kilbarrack in his Dublin North-East constituency last night, Dr Woods, who celebrated his 75th birthday last month, said he had spent 46 years full-time in the public service.

“It has been an honour for me to serve my constituents and my country over this time,” said Dr Woods, who currently chairs the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs.

He pointed out that he had served in government with five taoisigh. “I served five times as Minister for Social Welfare, three times in Health, twice in Marine and Natural Resources, once in Agriculture and Food and once in Education and Science.”

He was first elected to the Dáil in 1977 and prior to that worked as a Principal Officer in the Agricultural Research Institute.

Full Story: www.irishtimes.com

50% of teachers have suffered abuse [Independent.ie]

Published: 07 January 2011

More than half of teachers in Northern Ireland have suffered some sort of violence or abuse, a survey has found.

Staff run a gauntlet of offensive language and insults, as well as more serious physical assault, the report from the Irish National Teaching Organisation (INTO) added. Pupils, parents, principals and other teachers were responsible for the abuse, with 57% of those consulted last May and June complaining of the threat.

Tony Carlin, senior official at INTO, said: "People do not feel safe because of a lack of secure entrances to schools, aggressive behaviour, intimidation, bullying and threatening behaviour from parents and other family members."

The representative survey, commissioned by teachers and managers, obtained 2,356 responses between May and June last year and found:

:: 50% of those who responded have witnessed incidents of violence or abuse in school;

:: 65% are aware of their schools' arrangements for reporting and recording incidents of violence and abuse;

:: 30% have never received training in respect of behaviour management;

:: 32% said their staff handbooks do not address the issues of violence or abuse against teaching staff.

Mr Carlin added: "Teachers are concerned that no-one is taking their health and safety and welfare seriously any more." He said the worst example he had come across was where a woman teacher aged 28 was pinned against the wall by a child aged 11 and suffered a dislocated shoulder.

Full Story: www.independent.ie

Third-level sector needs additional €500m [IrishTimes]

Published: 06 January 2011

THE HIGHER education system requires additional funding of up to €500 million a year to keep pace with record student demand and to meet Government targets for the economy, an expert group has concluded.

Current funding of the sector is “unsustainable”, while continuing cuts in State support will damage overall standards, according to the national strategy for higher education.

The Hunt report is also sharply critical of the Leaving Cert. It says students entering higher education directly from school often lack the skills needed for successful engagement at college.

With colleges facing a 30 per cent increase in student numbers, the expert group – chaired by economist Dr Colin Hunt – says annual funding must increase from €1.3 billion to €1.8 billion a year by 2020. It says funding should virtually double to €2.25 billion by 2030.

To put this in context, the recent €500 increase in the student contribution fee – announced in the Budget – will yield less than €40 million for the colleges.

Overall, the report appears sceptical about the prospect of any such funding – despite the fact that current spending on higher education in the Republic is already some 28 per cent below many leading states.

The report, which will be officially published by Minister for Education Mary Coughlan next week, sets out a 20-year strategy for the sector. Details of its findings were first reported in The Irish Times last August.

Full Story: www.irishtimes.com