Latest round of school inspection reports published [educationmatters.ie]
- Published: 21 April 2010
3,552 school inspection reports are now publicly available on the Department of Education website, with the latest round published this month.
Since February 2006, school inspection reports have been published on www.education.ie at regular intervals throughout the school year.
Commenting on the reports, Minister for Education and Skills Mary Coughlan said:
“The publication of school inspection reports plays an important role in maintaining public and parental confidence in the quality of education provision.
“Publication also highlights the critical day-to-day role that the department inspectorate plays in identifying and addressing any problems in individual schools.
Full Story: www.educationmatters.ie
Churches right to hit back over education [newsletter.co.uk]
- Published: 21 April 2010
She is seen as presiding over an unsatisfactory period in the education of our children.
Sinn Fein have done all they can to protect Ms Ruane's tenure amid widespread oppostion to much of what she stands for and the decisions she has taken.
Now her party colleague, the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, has entered the fray and made comments about the role of Protestant churches, accusing them of hindering educational reform.
Full Story: www.newsletter.co.uk
Anonymous tip-off revealed VEC debt [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 21 April 2010
REVELATIONS of a large debt heaped on County Cork VEC due to the collapse of a private computer company only came to light because of an anonymous tip-off to a powerful Dáil committee.
The Department of Education, which has expressed serious concerns about the deal, was not aware of the loss until a person contacted the Public Accounts Committee last October.
It subsequently discovered the VEC had borrowed the equivalent of €216,000, which it gave to a private company, Mobile Voyager Solutions. This was to fund computer-generated learning aids to Glanmire Community College. Only €54,000 was returned to the VEC before the company dissolved, leaving the VEC to pay the outstanding €164,000 itself.
Read more: www.irishexaminer.com
New management's plans to turn around school criticised by Dept [meathchronicle.ie]
- Published: 21 April 2010
The principal of Gormanston College has reacted to criticism of the college in a report by Department of Education inspectors, saying that a huge amount of work had been done since they carried out their inspection, including 15 initiatives undertaken which he says will help the school become "an outstanding one".
The inspection was carried out at the fee-paying east Meath boarding school in April last year. Since then, the school appointed a new principal - Dermot Lavin - and deputy principal, Padraic O'Dowd, and both have been managing the school since the new term last September.
In its criticism, the Department of Education report said there was no evidence of a shared vision for the school. There was also criticism of weakness in school development planning, child protection procedures, communication with parents and the erosion of the school year.
Full Story: www.meathchronicle.ie
Call to abolish compulsory religious course for trainees [IrishTimes]
- Published: 21 April 2010
A MOTION to remove compulsory religious courses on teacher education programmes is to be discussed by the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) at their annual delegate conference in Dublin this weekend.
The motion calls for the abolition of compulsory religious courses for trainee teachers to be replaced with a common ethics course alongside optional denominational religious modules. Currently, those training to become a primary school teacher in Ireland cannot do so without taking compulsory religious education modules, regardless of their own religious beliefs.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
