EC study: Ireland produces most highly-employable graduates [sbpost.ie]
- Published: 21 March 2010
International recruiters believe that Ireland produces the most highly-employable graduates in the world, according to a European Commission study of third-level education.
Universities in other countries have rated Ireland’s universities as ‘‘excellent’’ in the report, which was prepared for the Commission’s Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs.The release of the report comes just after a review into ‘grade inflation’ at Irish third-level institutions, following comments from some multinational business leaders to education minister Batt O’Keeffe about the quality of Irish graduates.
The EC report was based on a study of the efficiency and effectiveness of public spending on tertiary education. It found that Ireland was the top of the list of countries, which recruiters found were producing the ‘‘most employable’’ graduates.
Full Story: www.sbpost.ie
The facts about education in the Republic [belfasttelegraph.co.uk]
- Published: 21 March 2010
- There are 732 post primary schools in the Republic of Ireland
- 388 of them are secondary schools that are privately owned and managed
- Of these 388, 50 are fee-paying
- 253 of them are vocational schools and community colleges
- 77 are community schools
- 14 are comprehensive schools
- All schools receive funding from the Department of Education and Science although capitation grants vary depending on the type of school in question.
Full Story: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Second-level Educate Together plan receives boost [IrishTimes]
- Published: 20 March 2010
A CAMPAIGN by the multidenominational body Educate Together for recognition as a second-level patron has received a boost.
The Department of Education has indicated that the patronage of the proposed new second-level school in Lucan, Dublin, is under review.
The current patronage, allocated to the Vocational Education Committee (VEC), has been withdrawn.
Educate Together, which runs 56 primary schools across the State, made its first application for secondary school patronage in Lucan in January 2008.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Bruce Arnold: Politicians share blame for turning blind eye to abuse [Independent.ie]
- Published: 20 March 2010
The silence of our politicians is as shameful as Cardinal Brady professes himself to be. They have had nothing whatever to say about their part in the abuse of children and their responsibility for the inadequacies in the law, or for the failure of the law to be implemented.
This has happened time and time again, and has been referred to, time and time again, without lifting the pall of silence in which politicians look the other way.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
The toughest test: schoolchildren facing uncertain future [belfasttelegraph.co.uk]
- Published: 20 March 2010
Today, as thousands of our schoolchildren face an uncertain future, this newspaper pledges to help families get through the transfer maze . . . and we demand an end to the chaos
The coming few months will be a period of great uncertainty for thousands of families in Northern Ireland. The children who are due to transfer from primary school — and their parents — are entering uncharted waters.
