Parents must ensure Catholic schools endure [IrishTimes]
- Published: 15 October 2011
VETERAN IRISH- American politician Tip O’Neill lost the first election he contested, for a seat on Cambridge city council. His father took him aside and told him he had not looked after his own backyard. “All politics is local,” he told him, a lesson young Tip absorbed and used to great effect in later life.
It appears all primary education is local, too. Fr Michael Drumm of the Catholic Schools’ Partnership said during the week that when it comes to choosing a school, proximity and the quality of education are much more important to many parents than who is running the school.
In other words, patronage is not a key issue for parents. Nothing too surprising there. In fact, if you asked most parents their priorities for their child’s school, most would start with whether it was easy to get to, and whether it would help their child to be happy and to learn.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Will Irish ISPs take greater steps to protect children online? [siliconrepublic.com]
- Published: 14 October 2011
Earlier this week, it emerged that four ISPs in the UK voluntarily moved to block porn and only allow access on an opt-in basis in order to prevent children from accessing this material. Should Irish ISPs act likewise but also take greater steps to tackle the spread of child abuse material on the internet?
Under the voluntary steps taken by the UK-based ISPs, customers will have to opt-in to view pornographic websites, otherwise they will be blocked from them. UK Prime Minister David Cameron is also expected to announce other moves to prevent children accessing sexualised content.
Should Irish ISPs be expected to do likewise? The question actually goes deeper and brings into question what ISPs are actually doing to prevent access to more questionable material, in particular child abuse material, which has become a cottage industry online and involves acts of intolerable cruelty against children.
Full Story: www.siliconrepublic.com
New Green Pre-Schools programme launched this week [advertiser.ie]
- Published: 14 October 2011
Westmeath County Childcare Committee Ltd (WCCC) and An Taisce launched the new Green Pre-Schools pilot programme in the Bloomfield House Hotel recently.
Westmeath County Childcare Committee is the lead partner in this proposal with An Taisce aimed at increasing environmental awareness among young children and their families. Westmeath County Childcare Committee have developed an online resource, Green Pre-Schools Activity Planner, which is linked to Aistear and references Sìolta.
This innovative programme will be piloted with 15 services in Westmeath and WCCC will also help to promote the implementation of Aistear within their current curriculum in a very practical hands-on user friendly way providing support and guidance.
Full Story: www.advertiser.ie
'Beware of cyber bullies' [thecorknews.ie]
- Published: 14 October 2011
Every Irish parent needs to learn how to use social networking sites such as Facebook, if cyber-bullying is to be stamped out in the classroom.
That's the message from a leading parents' organisation, which has called on technophobic adults to become computer-literate to protect their children. Studies have revealed that 31 per cent of primary school pupils and 16 per cent of secondary students have been bullied at some time, while 23 per cent of 200,000 children are at risk or become bullying victims.
But whereas physical aggression is the least prevalent form of intimidation in Irish classrooms, cyber-bullying - where victims are abused by web pages, emails and text messaging - is now the most widespread and hardest to control.
Worryingly, experts from Trinity College's anti-bullying centre have conceded that "there is no such thing as a bully-free school". However, the National Parents' Council (post primary) believes kids could be protected from their tormentors, if their parents knew how to check the messages they are receiving online.
Full Story: www.thecorknews.ie
ISPCC calls for ‘panic button’ for Irish teens using Facebook [siliconrepublic.com]
- Published: 14 October 2011
The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) has called for the development of a safety button or ‘panic button’ for Irish teens using Facebook and other similar sites.
In a report issued yesterday, the ISPCC says it has been recommending this for several years and it is currently operational in the UK.
The ISPCC also said it believes that legislation for monitoring and addressing child abuse online needs to be enhanced to keep in line with the on-going development of technology.
The second annual National Children’s Consultation report, 'This will come back and bite us in the butt', consulted with 18,116 young people in primary and secondary school, as well as harder-to-reach groups of those not in the formal education system. It is clear, generally, from the findings that the internet has become an integral part of the everyday lives of young people in Ireland; however, the extent to which young people adhere to safety precautions while online is cause for great concern.
Full Story: www.siliconrepublic.com
