New child protection scheme hailed [Independent.ie]
- Published: 10 November 2010
A new cross-border child protection scheme for Ireland north and south has been hailed as a world first.
Northern Ireland Assembly health minister Michael McGimpsey and Irish Government minister for children Barry Andrews have launched the new online project in Newry.
The North South Child Protection Hub will allow professionals to share a wealth of expertise including court judgments, serious case reviews plus details on policies and best practice. The Hub will also tap into material from Britain and the international community and has been described as the first project of its kind in the world.
Mr McGimpsey said: "This is an exciting new development. It will ensure that child-protection staff working on both sides of the border have immediate access to the most up-to-date information and research about child protection.
"We all have a responsibility to make sure our children are protected. I believe that better informed practitioners lead to better protection of children and the Hub will certainly help towards achieving this."
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Smart economy blow as students turn off science [Independent.ie]
- Published: 10 November 2010
FEWER students are taking science courses in college this year, despite a massive campaign by the Government to increase enrolments in the area to help build the 'smart economy'.
After a massive 25pc rise in science numbers last year, new figures show a decline this year.
The figures -- coming in the middle of National Science Week -- are a blow to the Government's hopes for a future smart economy.
The statistics, obtained by the Irish Independent, show that the number of first-year students accepting offers of places on science courses has dropped from 4,773 last year to 4,645 this year.
They also show disappointing results for engineering and computing skills, despite the fact there is a serious shortage of graduates in these areas, which are key to the development of the economy.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Coughlan vows to spend €102m by end of year [Independent.ie]
- Published: 10 November 2010
EDUCATION Minister Mary Coughlan last night pledged to spend her budget for school building before the end of the year -- amid fears unused funds may be handed back to the Exchequer.
Ms Coughlan insisted "timing" issues and project delays had led to her department's failure to spend €102m of its €465m capital expenditure budget.
But speaking in the Dail, she insisted the outstanding funds would be spent before the end of 2010.
The controversy over the unused allocation comes as students endure crumbling school buildings with poor facilities around the country.
Speaking in the Dail, Fine Gael's John O'Mahony insisted it was unacceptable the money had not been spent, especially when the Dail routinely heard cutbacks were on the way.
He said the minister had the money but would not spend it -- saying this was the second year in a row the department had underspent its allocation.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Preschool can dramatically change quality of adult life [IrishTimes]
- Published: 09 November 2010
HIGH QUALITY preschool programmes can reduce the likelihood of living in poverty, getting involved in crime and taking sleeping pills or sedatives, a conference will hear tomorrow.
The findings have come from the High/Scope Perry Preschool study which began tracking the effects of a preschool programme on a group of children in Michigan more than 40 years ago.
They took a sample of 123 children and randomly assigned almost half of them to a high quality preschool programme. Not surprisingly, participants in the preschool programme significantly outperformed the children who did not receive the education.
But the experiment also found that, by the age of 40, the men who had taken part in the programme were more likely to own their homes, be employed and be raising their own children. They were less likely to be arrested, or to use sedatives, sleeping pills or illegal drugs.
Lawrence Schweinhart, the study’s lead researcher, will outline these findings to Young Ballymun’s early education conference at the Axis Centre in the north Dublin suburb tomorrow.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Science Week kicks off with a bang as experts search for alien life forms [Independent.ie]
- Published: 09 November 2010
A debate about the end of the world and whether we share the galaxy with other life forms are just some of the intriguing events that will be held across Ireland as part of Science Week.
Professor of astronomy Ian Morison, who has been searching for signs of intelligent life beyond the Earth for years as a member of Project Phoenix, will reveal his thoughts on extra-terrestrial life at a lecture at the Sligo Institute of Technology on Thursday night.
Events
Meanwhile, at Trinity College in Dublin on Friday night, renowned physicist Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell will examine evidence linking asteroids and solar flares to fears of an impending Armageddon in 2012.
They are just two of more than 500 events taking place at universities, secondary and primary schools across the country this week to promote science in our everyday lives.
This year's theme 'Our Place in Space' focuses on the latest developments in astronomy and space travel and Ireland's little-known role in the space industry.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
