"Wall of silence" as 10% of Special Needs Assistants to be made redundant [leitrimobserver.ie]
- Published: 20 January 2010
Ten percent of Special Needs Assistants in Leitrim will be made redundant from their posts by the end of this month, according to IMPACT Trade Union.
Speaking to the Leitrim Observer, IMPACT Secretary, Philip Mullen said at least 10 per cent of all posts will be lost in the county according to figures released by the National Council for Special Needs in June 2009.
Full Story: www.leitrimobserver.ie
Quinn calls for Catholic church to review its role in Irish education [labour.ie]
- Published: 20 January 2010
The announcement that Pope Benedict XVI is to summon Ireland's Catholic Bishops to discuss the consequences of the church's cover-ups of clerical sexual abuse is welcome.
The Pope has promised to publish a pastoral letter in response to the Ryan and Murphy reports. It is a timely opportunity to explore the apparent thaw in the Catholic Church's attitude to the question of pluralism and patronage and in our 3,200 primary schools.
Full Story: www.labour.ie
School scheme [Herald.ie]
- Published: 20 January 2010
Dozens of Dublin schools have been twinned with major local firms in an initiative to develop their business acumen.
Students from 57 schools are assigned a local business mentor to help them through school, obtain advice on CV preparation and interviews and sign up for work experience within the Schools Business Partnership.
Full Story: www.herald.ie
Language directive to be withdrawn [IrishTimes]
- Published: 20 January 2010
The Government is to withdraw a controversial directive which had forced Irish-language primary schools to abandon total immersion as a means of teaching the language.
Circular 44, introduced by Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin in July 2007, directed all Irish language primary schools to teach English for 30 minutes every day despite opposition from Irish language groups and educationalists.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Minister O'Keeffe moves to dissolve the National University of Ireland [education.ie]
- Published: 20 January 2010
The Minister for Education and Science, Batt O'Keeffe TD, is to dissolve the National University of Ireland (NUI).
Minister O'Keeffe acknowledged the important role the NUI has played in Irish education for more than a century.
'However, the central role of the NUI was significantly reduced in the Universities Act, 1997, and the need to have a separate body undertaking what is now a limited set of functions has been outlived.
'The NUI's four constituent universities - University College Dublin, University College Cork, NUI Galway and NUI Maynooth - have the same statutory status as the State's three other universities but a small number of administrative and academic functions are still carried out on their behalf by the NUI.
Full Story: www.education.ie
