Councillor slams 'unfair' SNA cuts [wexfordpeople.ie]
- Published: 12 October 2011
THE CUT in SNA numbers is unfair but unfortunately, fairness is gone out the window, a Labour councillor told a Borough Council meeting. Cllr George Lawlor,
pictured right, said the last Government bankrupted the country so badly that there is going to be ' gross unfairness' for years to come'.
He was speaking on a motion from Cllr Fergie Kehoe (Fianna Fáil) who called on the Minister for Education to reverse the cap on the number of special needs assistants in school.
' These children are truly the most vulnerable in society,' said Cllr Kehoe, adding that the Government measure was causing ' enormous stress to parents and children.'
Cllr Lawlor responded by saying that he believed certain SN's should have been left in place.
Full Story: www.wexfordpeople.ie
Minister John O'Dowd takes education debate to Twitter [belfasttelegraph.co.uk]
- Published: 12 October 2011
The Department of Education will make history when it becomes the first Stormont department to host a live question and answer session on Twitter.
Education Minister John O’Dowd will be quizzed by members of the public on the social media site (www.twitter.com) tomorrow between 3pm and 4pm.
Tweeters can submit their education-related questions via the Northern Ireland Executive’s Twitter feed @niexecutive ahead of tomorrow’s hour long session. The deadline for receipt of questions is 2pm tomorrow.
Full Story: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
School transport policy 'outdated' [Herald.ie]
- Published: 12 October 2011
Almost £7 million a year could be saved through changes to how children are transported to school, it has been claimed.
Around a quarter of pupils use education board buses and Ulster Unionist education spokesman David McNarry said the existing policy was "out of date".
Around 110,000 children are transported to school in Northern Ireland. Many of the routes which education boards run are not commercially viable, including rural areas or for children with special educational needs.
Mr McNarry said: "We simply cannot afford to ignore potential savings. The least we can look for is a far better working relationship between the education boards and Translink (public transport company), for the benefit of the public purse and to see what reductions can be negotiated with commercial private companies, using the negotiating tool of bulk purchase.
Full Story: www.herald.ie
In My Opinion: Variety of patronage is called for to meet the demands of parents [Independent.ie]
- Published: 12 October 2011
Following on the publication of data by the Department of Education and Skills on areas where the Catholic Church might consider divesting of some schools, the Catholic Schools Partnership (CSP) undertook a number of steps, including an in-depth analysis of parental understandings of school patronage.
The research clearly establishes that patronage is not the main issue in determining school choice for parents. The issues of most immediate concern are the proximity of the school, its educational standards and family connections.
The research highlights the general perception that the vast majority of Catholic primary schools are inclusive and handle the diversity of religious beliefs and ethnic backgrounds in a sensitive way.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Many young people 'at risk' though internet activities [schooldays.ie]
- Published: 12 October 2011
Many children in Ireland could be putting their safety at risk by not adequately protecting themselves when using the internet.
This is according to a new report from the ISPCC, which found a quarter of older children failed to use privacy settings on their social networking accounts, while over a third of primary school-age youngsters did not know how to do this.
One in ten of the older group admitted to giving out information such as email addresses, mobile phone numbers or photos, while 13 per cent of younger children had given their full name to someone they had never met.
Full Story: www.schooldays.ie
