Down with exams! Why the Junior Cert is ripe for reform [Independent.ie]
- Published: 05 May 2010
The Junior Cert is unlikely to be scrapped completely as part of the latest government plans for reform of second level education.
But the new version of the junior cycle is likely to be unrecognisable from the present system.
Depending on how far the new Education Minister Mary Coughlan wishes to go, the switch to a new junior cycle will result in the biggest shake-up of second level education for two decades.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Department says deal will not affect teacher holidays [IrishTimes]
- Published: 05 May 2010
TEACHER HOLIDAYS and the length of the school day will be unaffected by the Croke Park deal, the Department of Education said yesterday.
The department issued the clarification to the teacher unions as more than 50,000 teachers prepare to vote on the deal this week.
The Croke Park deal promises a review of the teaching contract before next September.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
In my opinion: We need laws protecting students from heavy loads [Independent.ie]
- Published: 05 May 2010
It is sad to see that nothing is being done by the Government to protect Ireland's future generations. Not only are our children being saddled with NAMA, toxic loans, future high taxes and bailing out banks and the privileged few, this Government is still making children carry schoolbags that are too heavy and far exceed its own recommendations.
We should not be surprised as this attitude is typical of the present Education Minister Mary Coughlan and her predecessors. They bury their heads in the sand and hope if they ignore the problem it will go away. But if anything, it is here for a very long time.
We are coming to the end of another school year, and one question still hangs over all these students: how heavy is the schoolbag they are lifting and is it causing damage to their back and spine?
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Coughlan hints at further changes to Leaving Cert Irish [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 04 May 2010
CHANGES may be considered to a new Irish Leaving Certificate curriculum which places more emphasis on the spoken language because of anger in all-Irish schools, Education Minister Mary Coughlan has hinted.
The Tánaiste was responding to concerns raised by cabinet colleague Pat Carey about a reduced level of literature and prose in the revised course, which will be taught from next autumn and examined at Leaving Certificate level from 2012.
In an effort to boost student interest and oral proficiency in the language, previous education minister Mary Hanafin announced in 2007 that increased marks would be awarded for oral Irish in state exams.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
Political patronage still controls the purse strings [IrishTimes]
- Published: 04 May 2010
ANALYSIS: Funding for capital projects like roads and schools should be allocated on the basis of fairness and need, writes JANE SUITER
WHEN BRIAN Cowen stood up on the back of a truck in his constituency after being elected Taoiseach he treated the assembled throng to a song: Ber Cowen he is a TD me boys, Ber Cowen he is a TD. He got Clara a swimming pool because it isn’t by the sea. He was being more revealing about a fault line in our society than he might have realised at the time. It’s not just swimming pools, and Tullamore did get a very fine example a couple of years later, but roads and schools are more examples where political patronage rather than need and fairness predict the destination of much funding.
This type of spending where politicians direct funds home to their constituencies in a bid to win favour, and hence re-election, is present in various forms throughout the world. But we have our own special type in Ireland. Here it is individual, powerful ministers in charge of the purse strings who direct funds to their own constituencies.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
