Pupil numbers to rise by 30% over 20 years [Irish Times]
- Published: 17 October 2009
THE NUMBER of pupils in second-level schools is set to surge by 30 per cent over the next two decades, placing further strain on the education budget.
New Department of Education figures show the number at second level will increase from 340,000 to 440,000 by 2029.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
School access to social network sites 'could reduce cyberbullying' [Irish Examiner]
- Published: 17 October 2009
ACCESS to websites like YouTube and Facebook in second-level schools could help teachers reduce the degree to which teenagers use technology as a bullying weapon, an expert claims.
Most of the country's second-level schools are restricted from using video or social networking sites because of fears that they are used for cyberbullying. The blocks are set up by software from the National Council for Technology in Education (NCTE), with differing restriction levels depending on the age of pupils.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
Parents ask schools to put unborn on their lists [Herald.ie]
- Published: 16 October 2009
The baby boom is driving desperate parents to try to get their children into popular schools before they are even born.
Waiting times -- particularly in Dublin -- are now as long as six years as the birth rate rises in Ireland's biggest baby boom since 1980.
Full Story: www.herald.ie
Research throws doubt over policy on school disadvantage [rish Examiner]
- Published: 16 October 2009
RESEARCH by the Government's economic think-tank has raised further doubts over the suitability of targeting extra money only at schools with the highest numbers of disadvantaged pupils.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
Employers demand a compulsory gap year for all students [Independent.ie]
- Published: 16 October 2009
EMPLOYERS want students to take a compulsory gap year between Leaving Cert and college to allow them to learn vital workplace skills. They're worried that our education system is not producing well-rounded school leavers who can think on their feet. Bosses say the points race means many school leavers are spoon-fed information.
They blame an outdated curriculum and teaching methods that promote rote learning and fail to generate a spirit of enquiry. The broader social skills needed by employers could be gained in a pre-college "year out" where school leavers would work in the voluntary or community sectors.
Full Story: http://www.independent.ie
