School bus fee of €500 may be introduced [IrishTimes]
- Published: 23 May 2010
THE INTRODUCTION of a €500 a year charge for school transport is understood to be under consideration in pre-budget discussions.
The current charge is €300 for second-level students, whereas primary schoolchildren travel free on the school bus.
The McCarthy report on public service numbers and expenditure recommended the imposition of a €500 charge on all pupils.
A spokesman for Minister for Education Mary Coughlan declined to comment on the matter except to say that, in tandem with all departments, the Department of Finance was “considering a range of options as part of the Estimates process”.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Almost half of school expulsions overturned [tribune.ie]
- Published: 23 May 2010
NEARLY half of all primary school expulsions are overturned on appeal despite overwhelming evidence of gross misbehaviour, it has emerged.
One in three secondary students who ask to have their expulsion reconsidered have also been successful, the Sunday Tribune has learned.
Teachers and principals have warned that procedures for removing students who are repeatedly violent or even break the law are relatively simple to circumvent.
In primary schools, a total of 44 expulsions were reported to the Department of Education during the past five years.
Of that number, 14 successfully appealed the decision and were reinstated. The school was found to have been correct in only 17 cases.
Full Story: www.tribune.ie
ASTI slams lack of jobs for teachers [tribune.ie]
- Published: 23 May 2010
Pranksters told to leave school early [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 22 May 2010
A PRINCIPAL was forced to end the term early for 70 sixth-year students after a series of pranks at a Co Tipperary school left one student requiring medical treatment.
Principal Pat O’Toole took the drastic action after a series of incidents on Wednesday at St Mary’s School in Newport.
The disruption included the release of crickets during an assembly period and also resulted in a first-year student requiring medical treatment.
Mr O’Toole said he had made the decision to end the sixth-years’ time at school early on Wednesday rather than the following Monday evening on "health and safety" grounds. "There was a number of incidents which I found totally unacceptable," he said.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
Two teacher unions vote to reject pay deal [IrishTimes]
- Published: 22 May 2010
TEACHER BALLOT: TWO OF the three teaching unions have voted to reject the Croke Park deal on public service pay and reform.
However, the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) will delay any further protest action until after a key Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) meeting next month.
A meeting of the public services committee of Ictu, due in mid-June, will make the final decision on the deal based on the overall result of ballots by public service unions.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
