What each of the congregations has on its books [Independent.ie]
- Published: 17 April 2010
COMPANIES AND TRUSTS: The congregation in Ireland is associated with nine trusts and companies that have charitable status.
Two trusts are connected with the Marino Institute of Education, to which it contributed €3.2m in recent years.
In 2008, it transferred school property with an attributed value of €430m to the Edmund Rice Schools Trust Ltd. The Brothers contributed €3.5m to this.
It has given €14m to the UK charity the Edmund Rice Bicentennial Trust in recent years, and €6.2m to the Irish charity Edmund Rice International Heritage Centres Ltd.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Labour demands new national forum on primary education [eecho.ie]
- Published: 17 April 2010
The Labour Party is today demanding a new national forum on primary education to explore what to do about the issues of ethos and religious belief.
The party's national conference in Galway has heard calls for a primary education system that cherishes all the children of the nation equally.
The party is also demanding that every school building owned by the Catholic Church be handed over the State.
Full Story: www.eecho.ie
Coughlan breaks 1st pledge after 10 days [finegael.org]
- Published: 16 April 2010
While speaking at the INTO Conference last week, Education Minister Mary Coughlan made her first pledge, that the list of successful applicants for the Summer Works Scheme will be published by today (Friday).
With the Department of Education confirming that this has not occurred, Fine Gael Education Spokesman, Brian Hayes TD has said that it is now clear that this promise has been broken and that schools are already beginning to lose out.
“Breaking your very first pledge within 10 days of making it is hardly an auspicious start for the Minister.
Full Story: www.finegael.org
Watchdog seeks clarity on child referendum [IrishTimes]
- Published: 16 April 2010
THE GOVERNMENT was yesterday urged by the Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan, to give its view on the proposed wording on the constitutional amendment to protect the rights of children so as to provide clarity on the matter for the electorate when it is put to referendum.
Ms Logan said that given the length of time taken to effect change and get political agreement on the wording now proposed by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children, it was important that matters were progressed quickly.
It’s always difficult to predict when the currents of change will gather pace and when events such as the Murphy and Ryan reports accelerate them – and for that reason, it was important to move now when there is real political and public debate about the rights of children, she said.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Study on school leaving shows we still have lessons to learn [labour.ie]
- Published: 15 April 2010
Today's ESRI report on early school leaving shows that 9000 students leave secondary school without a Leaving Certificate qualification every year. This is a huge problem which is far too easy to ignore. We need to renew our efforts at tackling educational disadvantage in Ireland.
Education is the key to creating a more equal society. It is distressing to see that that social class and gender strongly influence which pupils leave school early. If you are a young, working-class male, then our education system is not best positioned to help you.
Greater equality is better for everyone in our society, including the 9000 early school leavers in this report. It means every person has an opportunity to develop, and it also will aid our economic recovery.
Full Story: www.labour.ie
