O'Keeffe asked to delay special needs plan [rte.ie]
- Published: 29 January 2010
The President of the Irish Primary Principals' Network has called on the Minister for Education to delay cutting any further Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts until the start of the new school year.
Speaking at the IPPN's annual conference, Pat Goff said if you pull the rug from children with special needs too early, the support system can collapse altogether.
A number of contracts for Special Needs Assistant are due to end today.
Full Story: www.rte.ie
Call for 'real' right to free primary education [IrishTimes]
- Published: 29 January 2010
THE QUALITY of a child’s education in the Republic is still directly related to their parents’ financial ability to support the school system, the head of Amnesty International Ireland said yesterday.
Colm O’Gorman claimed the State did not have a properly funded State-run education system. Instead, we had an under-funded network of private institutions, he said.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
O'Keeffe to address angry primary school principals [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 29 January 2010
The Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe will face an angry audience this morning.
Mr O'Keeffe is addressing the annual conference of the Irish Primary Principals Network at Citywest in Dublin.
It follows the pension levy, a pay cut for public servants and a series of education cutbacks.
Larry Fleming from the IPPN has said cuts to special needs education is "a major issue".
Call for statutory guides on reporting of abuse in schools [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 29 January 2010
SCHOOLS will continue to ensure child abuse is stamped out but must be given statutory guidelines on reporting and other child protection issues, a principals’ leader has claimed.
Pat Goff, president of the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN), said the same standards should apply to everyone in education but a number of abusers have tainted the excellent work of so many who have given sterling service in schools.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
Cardinal defends 'right' to be in schools [Independent.ie]
- Published: 29 January 2010
CARDINAL Sean Brady yesterday dismissed claims that the Catholic Church had no right to be involved in public schools as "a red herring and blatantly unjust".
He said it would be wrong to dismiss the "superb work" of so many people involved in Catholic education "because of the terrible failings of some priests and bishops".
The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland staked the church's claim to a continuing role in Irish education in the wake of the damning Ryan and Murphy reports on clerical child sex abuse.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
