Tánaiste outlines contribution of education and skills sector to National Recovery Plan [education.ie]
- Published: 24 November 2010
Outlining the expenditure measures for her Department contained in the National Recovery Plan, the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Ms. Mary Coughlan, T.D., today said that Government had gone as far as it could to protect front line education services over the four years of the plan. She said that while difficult choices had to be made to identify savings across her Department's remit, the Government recognised the critical importance of the education and skills sector as the engine of Ireland's recovery and future prospects. She warned however that the sector must embrace radical reform, dust off the status-quo, and ensure continually better outcomes for such a large commitment from the taxpayer.
The four-year National Recovery Plan shows that the gross allocation,including funding from the National Training Fund, for the Department of Education and Skills for 2011 will be €9.692 billion. The gross overall allocations for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 are set at €9.480 billion, €9.413 billion and €9.343 billion respectively.
The 2011 allocation for current expenditure will be €9.20 billion while the allocation for capital expenditure will be €492 million. The education measures in the plan account for current expenditure savings next year of some €182 million. Allocations from the National Training Fund will also be reduced and will require more efficient use of resources for training and employment programmes. The 2011 allocation for the Department represents a reduction of €229 million over the equivalent allocation for 2010,the difference arising mainly in relation to capital expenditure. When account is taken of further savings to be secured over the period 2012-2014, the education and skills area will contribute total current savings of some €690 million by the end of 2014.
"While achieving savings in the education and skills budget is never without difficulty, this is particularly so at a time of growing demographics in our schools and increased demand on our education and skills services. It is clear however that in the context of the unprecedented level of expenditure saving required over the four year period of the National Recovery Plan, this Government has chosen to go as far as it can to protect front line education services. Given that determination by the Government, what we need now is a clear commitment from all partners in the sector to embrace reform, to challenge the status-quo and to ensure greater output and better outcomes for the taxpayers' investment."
Full Story: www.education.ie
In my opinion: We must cater for the non-believers in our primary schools [Independent.ie]
- Published: 24 November 2010
The area of primary education has for decades been fraught with pitfalls for the rapidly increasing non-religious community.
This community is now larger than all of the other non-Catholics of our State added together. Apart from a comparative handful of Educate Together (ET) schools, we have no choice but to send our children to religious-run schools.
The problem with the denominational-run schools is that they rarely accommodate withdrawal of children from religious instruction, and do not provide non-religious moral education. Both of these rights are in the Irish constitution but are ignored by most school principals, managers and patrons.
This is not to deny that some schools do make an effort but they are very much the exception, and it is strange that in a society which is increasingly focused on childrens' rights this injustice is overlooked.
Overlooked not just by the schools, even civil and human-rights watchdogs make little play with this discrimination.
The Catholic Church has indicated it is willing to help solve the situation by making available to the State a network of school structures.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
One in seven pupils taught English and maths poorly [Independent.ie]
- Published: 24 November 2010
STANDARDS in schools will be compared in a radical plan unveiled yesterday by Education Minister Mary Coughlan.
The move follows a shocking report that maths and English teaching in one in seven primary schools classes is not up to scratch.
Under the new proposals, a school's performance in national assessments of English and maths could be measured against unidentified, similar schools.
Shortcomings in almost 15pc of the nation's primary school classrooms were discovered when Department of Education inspectors arrived unannounced in more than 450 primary schools in the past year.
While more than 80pc of lessons were satisfactory or better, some 15pc of English and maths lessons were unsatisfactory.
The inspectors' Incidental Inspections Findings report was one of two dealing with literacy and numeracy in primary schools launched yesterday.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Tánaiste announces plan to improve literacy and numeracy in schools [fiannafail.ie]
- Published: 23 November 2010
Sweeping reforms to teacher education courses, increased time for literacy and numeracy in primary and post-primary schools, and a significant extension in the use of assessment and testing in reading and mathematics are included in a major package of proposals to improve literacy and numeracy in schools launched by the Tánaiste, Mary Coughlan TD, in the Department of Education and Skills today.
The Tánaiste was launching for consultation her draft plan to improve literacy and numeracy standards, titled ‘Better Literacy and Numeracy for Children and Young People: A Draft National Plan to Improve Literacy and Numeracy in Schools’.
The Tánaiste said that while many students were achieving well in literacy and numeracy, there was evidence of considerable room for improvement in the literacy and numeracy skills of young people.
“We cannot be complacent about the standards of literacy and numeracy in our schools,” said the Tánaiste. “The evidence suggests that we should and could be doing better in these areas that are so critical to educational attainment. To make this happen, the significant reforms I am outlining today are required.”
Inspections
The Tánaiste was responding to the findings of a report, ‘Incidental Inspections 2010’, published today by the Inspectorate of her Department on the outcomes of unannounced inspections in primary schools in the last year. The inspectors found that over 80% of lessons were satisfactory or better. However, over 14% of English and mathematics lessons were unsatisfactory. They also found that teachers’ preparation was unsatisfactory for approximately a quarter of lessons, and that teachers’ assessment of pupils’ achievement was unsatisfactory in a third of cases.
Full Story: www.fiannafail.ie
Tánaiste announces plan to improve literacy and numeracy in schools [education.ie]
- Published: 23 November 2010
Tánaiste announces plan to improve literacy and numeracy in schools
Major package of far-reaching proposals outlined
Unannounced inspections of schools find most students progressing well but 14% of lessons in English and Maths to be unsatisfactory
Sweeping reforms to teacher education courses, increased time for literacy and numeracy in primary and post-primary schools, and a significant extension in the use of assessment and testing in reading and mathematics are included in a major package of proposals to improve literacy and numeracy in schools launched by the Tánaiste, Mary Coughlan TD, in the Department of Education and Skills today.
The Tánaiste was launching for consultation her draft plan to improve literacy and numeracy standards, titled 'Better Literacy and Numeracy for Children and Young People: A Draft National Plan to Improve Literacy and Numeracy in Schools'.
Full Story: www.education.ie
