You must watch this David Puttman speech! [blog.technet.ie]
- Published: 21 January 2010
It’s rarely that we get a chance to hear someone on these shores providing an enlightened insight into the role of education in a digital society. Lord Puttman, film director and now Chairman of Futurelab (an organisation we much admire), gave a talk to the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) in Dublin on the 19th January.
While the media have focussed on his comments about the state of our schools in Ireland (see Irish Times article: Poor state of schools shameful – Puttnam), we were more keen to hear his comments on the state of education in the context of the digital society. In a rapidly changing world, Lord Puttman has no doubt that proper investment in education is paramount to developing and improving society and to dealing with many of the global issues that pertain to living and working in the 21st Century.
Full Story: www.blog.technet.ie
‘No account taken of the impact reduced support will have on pupils’ [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 21 January 2010
PRINCIPAL Anna Mai Rooney and her staff face a logistical nightmare trying to spread reduced supports among four pupils with special care needs from next month.
St Louis Girls School in Monaghan town is one of just over 1,000 primary schools where the role of special needs assistants (SNAs) has been reviewed since last April.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
Minister to allow gaelscoils delay teaching of English [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 21 January 2010
EDUCATION Minister Batt O’Keeffe is to overturn a controversial directive by his predecessor Mary Hanafin that gaelscoil pupils must be taught English from their second term in junior infants.
Ms Hanafin’s circular letter to schools in July 2007 was strongly opposed by many of the country’s 300-plus all-Irish primary schools, some of which teach pupils no English until senior infants or first class. The policy of total early immersion in a second language is backed by international research which points to subsequent educational benefits, and the directive went against the recommendation of the statutory curriculum body that schools be allowed continue existing policies until further research was carried out here.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
Irish schools need not teach English to junior infants [IrishTimes]
- Published: 21 January 2010
IRISH LANGUAGE schools will no longer have to teach English to junior infants following the withdrawal yesterday of a controversial directive by the Department of Education.
Circular 44, introduced by Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin in July 2007, directed all Irish language primary schools to teach English for a minimum of 30 minutes every day despite opposition from Irish language groups and educationalists.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
INTO issues work to rule directive [IrishTimes]
- Published: 21 January 2010
PRIMARY TEACHERS may withdraw from all extracurricular activities as the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) steps up its campaign against Government pay cuts. In a directive to its 25,000 members, the union is recommending that each school “review its practice of voluntary activities after school time and consider if such activities might take place during school time”.
The move will be of concern to many organisations, including the GAA which relies on primary teachers to teach younger children the basics of football and hurling. Drama and other cultural activities could also be targeted.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
