Archdiocese ‘must release list of Walsh’s victims’ [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 18 December 2010
She said this may help to explain a spike in young male suicides in the Ballyfermot area of people that matched the age of Walsh’s victims.
Ms Copely was outspoken in her criticism of Fr Alex Stenson a still serving priest in Dublin. In 1994 Ms Copely went to report Walsh’s behaviour to Fr Stenson and was offered tea and chocolate biscuits.
"I told him what he could do with them because he really didn’t seem to care about what I was telling him... I’m hopping mad because I’m thinking of all the people who could have been saved if he was a normal citizen."
She called for Archbishop Martin to remove Fr Stenson from his position as a serving Dublin parish priest, saying that Fr Stenton had ‘covered up’.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
Coughlan to stop schools employing retired teachers [IrishTimes]
- Published: 17 December 2010
SCHOOLS WILL be prohibited from employing retired teachers under legislation to be introduced by Minister for Education Mary Coughlan.
“On the basis people are not adhering to the circular on the non-employment of retired teachers, I will add another legislative measure to prevent this happening,” the Minister told the Dáil.
She added: “I want to see if there is any possibility to get this legislation through the House before the general election.”
Fine Gael education spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said 30 per cent of last year’s UCD graduates were unemployed.
Ms Coughlan also said it was the department’s policy that all teachers should be fully qualified and registered by the Teaching Council to safeguard the standards and quality of education.
She said section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001, which had not yet commenced, provided that only registered teachers could be remunerated out of monies provided by the Oireachtas.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Books must be given priority over TV, says Coughlan [IrishTimes]
- Published: 17 December 2010
HOMES WITH a lack of reading material, and televisions in the bedrooms, were contributing to low literacy levels among children, Minister for Education Mary Coughlan told the Dáil.
She was responding to an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study. The Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) survey revealed that literacy levels in Ireland had dropped more significantly than in any other OECD country.
“It was not money,” said Ms Coughlan. “It was the priority: books or television?” The Minister said she was working towards improved teacher qualification and an emphasis on curriculum change in literacy and numeracy.
Fine Gael spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said the report had shown appalling education results during the Celtic Tiger era.
One in six students had significant reading problems, with 23 per cent of males having a literacy level below “functional literacy”.
That meant they could not communicate in society, he said.
Mr O’Dowd called for a crusade for literacy in the schools and a radical shake-up in the administrative system within the Department of Education. Teachers should be empowered to get the best results for all children.
“You are failing those who are most vulnerable,” he added.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Nun’s unfair dismissal claim against school overturned [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 17 December 2010
The claim made by Ms O’Kelly BL was that Sr O’Sullivan, who is still a Presentation Sister in full- time employment as a primary school teacher in another school, was not given fair procedure and was entitled to the protection of her contract.
"In no way would I accept a career break. I said I would rather leave the congregation than be subjected to such an injustice.
"I had signed my contract, I was teaching there 15 years, I was a very good teacher, well-known and acknowledged," Sr O’Sullivan testified.
She said her provincial leader at a meeting in July 2006 said she should take a career break. "The reason she gave me was that she was afraid the board of management (of the school) were going to dismiss me because I did not attend a medical appointment they set up," she said.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
Religous orders owe state more than €400m from abuse settlement [labour.ie]
- Published: 17 December 2010
New figures I have obtained in reply to a parliamentary question reveal that religious organisations owe the state almost half a billion in contributions that were promised arising from the abuse of victims in religious institutions.
The figures show that more than €26m in still outstanding from the original Indemnity Deal, negotiated by the then Minister for Education, Michael Woods, in 2002, when the congregations pledged to hand over €128 in cash and property. Furthermore of the €348m pledged in 2009, following the shocking disclosures in the Ryan Report, just €20m (6%) has been handed over.
The Fianna Fail government claimed in 2002 that the €128m would represent half of the cost of compensating victims, but as it turned out the final cost, between legal fees and compensation payments amounted to around €1.2bn.
Following the public outcry created by the Ryan Report the government quite properly asked the congregations to make additional payments and €348.51 was pledged in cash and property. The figures I have obtained show that just €20.6m in cash has been paid over and no property has been transferred.
One hundred and ten million of the money pledged in 2009 was supposed to go the Statutory Fund of Survivors of Abuse, but only €20m of has been paid over, thus further delaying support and assistance for those who suffered so horribly at the hands of members of the Religious Orders.
Full Story: www.labour.ie
