IPPN

Schools closed due to bad weather [IrishExaminer]

Published: 11 January 2010

All primary and secondary State-run schools are to remain closed until Thursday because of the bad weather.

Third-level institutions are also making alternate arrangements because of the cold snap.

Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe took the decision to keep schools shut in the interest of student welfare.

Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com

'Building for the Future' 2010 competition launched [Independent.ie]

Published: 10 January 2010

Independent Newspapers Ireland's €1.5m 'Building for the Future' 2010 competition, which was launched last week, invites primary schools throughout the country to compile a mini-project in written and photographic format on a selected local business.

From the tiniest corner shop in the village to the largest factory in the town, pupils are encouraged to tell the story of their chosen business, how it has changed over the years and how it contributes to the life of the local surrounding community.

Full Story: www.independent.ie

Dun Laoghaire / Rathdown has highest Pupil – Teacher Ratio [labour.ie]

Published: 10 January 2010

Primary schools in Dun Laoghaire / Rathdown have some of the biggest class sizes in the country.

Labour Party T.D. Eamon Gilmore has said that Figures recently released by the Department of Education & Science show that Dun Laoghaire is at the low end of the scale for primary school classes which have more then 30 pupils.

Full Story: www.labour.ie

FG hits out at school closures [IrishExaminer]

Published: 10 January 2010

A Fine Gael representative has today severely criticised the announcement by Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe to impose a blanket closure order on all schools until next Thursday.

Seanad education spokesperson Senator Fidelma Healy Eames said that local school management-are the people best-placed to decide whether or not schools can be opened.

Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com

Ministers fail us, citizens do not [Independent.ie]

Published: 10 January 2010

At times of crisis, this Government is its own worst enemy. At the start of the recession Brian Cowen and his ministers thought they could avert it by ignoring it: the fundamentals of the economy are sound, they parroted, while the bottom fell out of it.

When floods devastated parts of the country last year, government ministers appeared paralysed, uncertain who was in charge and still unable to say who has responsibility for managing Ireland's waterways. And now, as the country freezes in sub-zero temperatures, the Government fails to respond with any sense of urgency until it is too late to make a difference.

Full Story: www.independent.ie