Limerick teacher rebuts 'spoiled children' claim by Dr Ed Walsh [limerickleader.ie]
- Published: 09 April 2010
And speaking from the ASTI annual convention in Galway, Mr McKernan, Monaleen, said he can easily see frustrated teachers rejecting the proposed public sector pay agreement.
Full Story: www.limerickleader.ie
In brief: UK healthcare . . . Coughlan zen . . . Revolting teachers [Independent.ie]
- Published: 09 April 2010
- Over Easter I stayed in my home town of Newcastle and unfortunately I had reason to call my local doctor. On the Tuesday the doctor was off, but I was forwarded to a doctor on call.
He listened to my complaint and told me that I could collect the necessary prescription from our local pharmacy.
I made the call at 12pm and and at 12.20pm the pharmacy had the prescription ready and there was no fee. Can anyone imagine this with our health service?
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Maths teaching needs to change, engineers warn [businessandleadership.com]
- Published: 09 April 2010
Despite the potential re-introduction of bonus points for maths much more has to be done to improve take-up and results in this area John Power, director general of Engineers Ireland has warned.
Speaking as the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills Mary Coughlan TD gave her backing to the re-introduction of bonus points in Leaving Certificate maths, Power said the problems around maths were complex and also required fundamental changes to curriculum and teaching methodologies.
Full Story: www.businessandleadership.com
Raging Ed gets an economics lesson [Herald.ie]
- Published: 09 April 2010
AN UNRULY classroom at the INTO conference brought Ed Walsh, founding president of the University of Limerick, to the Lunchtime show on Newstalk. Ed was in a big snit over the reception that teachers gave Minister for Education Mary Coughlan at the INTO conference.
"Teachers are supposed to be leaders," he whuffled. "Whoever banged the bung out of the boat, the boat is sinking," he fulminated over the "unpatriotic" behaviour.
"Despite the cuts, they're paid 20pc more than their counterparts in the UK, they teach one of the shortest school years in the world . . . they've 21 days of undocumented sick leave -- so they're a pampered group."
Full Story: www.herald.ie
Teaching becoming a 'halting site in between better jobs' [Independent.ie]
- Published: 09 April 2010
UNEMPLOYED architects and lawyers, as well as retired teachers, are taking substitute work from young, jobless graduates, the ASTI conference was told yesterday.
Greta Harrison of the West Mayo branch said that teaching was "a bad job in the good times and a good job in bad times".
She said it was galling to see unemployed professionals who did not choose teaching suddenly looking towards it and getting hours while young people who had trained as teachers were sitting on their hands.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
