Church seeks Catholic exam for school heads
- Published: 01 May 2009
Church seeks Catholic exam for school heads
Tuesday April 28 2009
A new post-graduate qualification in Catholic school leadership is likely to become a requirement for future principals, the Church signalled yesterday.
Principals in Catholic primary schools will have their commitment to faith-based education tested, Bishop Leo O'Reilly, chair of the Bishops' Commission for Education, said.
INTO general secretary John Carr described Bishop O'Reilly's comments as "significant".
But the union insisted there would have to be dialogue on the subject before they could give it their backing.
The move is set against a backdrop of huge changes in the primary education landscape and the prominent role traditionally held by the Catholic Church, which is patron of over 90pc of the nation's 3,300 primary schools.
Outlining a vision for life in Catholic primary schools, Bishop O'Reilly said Catholic education was rooted in faith.
He said faith could not be compartmentalised and that religious education was a priority in a Catholic school and required a serious commitment of time and resources.
"Teachers teach by example as much as by words -- their Christian witness, the values and attitudes that they embody in their daily interaction with those around them," he told the annual conference of the Catholic Primary School Manager's Association (CPSMA).
"We also need to encourage teachers who are capable of exercising leadership in schools to do post-graduate qualifications in Catholic school leadership," Bishop O'Reilly added.
"I believe we need to be prepared for the day when such qualifications will not be just desirable in candidates for leadership positions, but will be a requirement."
Mr Carr said the remarks must be seen in the context of current lack of supports for school leadership.
- Katherine Donnelly
Nano Nagle - remains an influential educator [Independent]
- Published: 01 May 2009
Thursday April 30 2009
THE country's highest paid university head has suggested that staff work for a week for nothing to help the college through the current financial crisis.
The move by University College Cork (UCC) president Dr Michael Murphy comes as university heads themselves consider a voluntary pay cut.
The pay cut proposal is on the agenda for a meeting of the Irish Universities Association (IUA) today -- but in return college bosses want discretion in relation to the recently announced embargo on filling posts.
Dr Murphy, whose remuneration package is worth in excess of €275,000 floated the 'free week' idea at a quarterly presentation to staff and students yesterday.
It would amount to pay cut of more than 2pc this year for UCC's 2,800 staff, yielding about €3.3m of €7m that the college has to save between now and Spetember. It is seen as an alternative to the loss of temporary staff. UCC has 400 staff on short-term contracts.
College staff were unimpressed. Last night a source said: "This is not going to happen. It is seen as an attempt to impose unacceptable conditions on junior and poorly paid staff while senior staff are refusing to set a headline in this regard."
Dr Murphy said UCC was heading for a deficit of €16m and in light of the ever tightening financial situation, further savings of €7m would be needed between now and September.
All the universities are under strict instructions from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) not to incur deficits this year and to work at reducing any accumulated debt.
Today's meeting of the IUA is not expected to take a final decision on the voluntary pay cut, the possible extent of which has not been specified.
Flexibility
Sources said the university heads were keen to show a lead on the pay front, but in return for any such gesture they wanted certain flexibility in handling the moratorium on appointments and promotions in the higher education sector.
Discussions on the implementation of the moratorium are under way between the Departments of Finance and Education and the HEA.
In his presentation to staff, Dr Murphy outlined a range of potential staff and non-staff related savings including non-renewal of temporary contracts, a cut in overtime costs, and other areas, such as a reduction in the subvention to the Glucksman Gallery.
He described a possible agreement to work without pay for a week -- as "the biggest value item on our list".
"I hesitated at proposing this at first; the sacrifice would be on top of what the Minister for Finance has imposed on us all. If implemented, it should not impact on our pensions and it should be a once-off, not establishing a precedent for next year.''
He told staff that there was "very little time available" to agree a menu of cuts.
- Katherine Donnelly
Link Community Development (LCD)
- Published: 30 April 2009
CAIRO TO CAPE TOWN Challenge!
This Africa Day, cross the Continent of Africa, without leaving your own yard and raise money for schools or clubs AND for schools in Africa.
On or before May 22nd, schools and clubs all over Ireland will be keeping fit and fundraising in aid of Link Community Development. Schools or clubs may retain 15% of the total funds raised and will be in with chance of winning fantastic prizes.
To register a school or club for free email info@lcd.ie or text "CCC" to 087 9697623 with your name and school/club contact details. Each school/club will receive a free pack of materials, including a Interactive Map of Africa to complete the cross-continental Challenge on the big day. For every Euro raised schools will cover a kilometre on the map. Join in and help us get to Cape Town! Click here for more information.
Link Community Development (LCD) is a registered Irish charity working with over 2,500 schools in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, South Africa and Uganda towards improving education for children, giving them a chance to escape the poverty into which they have been born.
Parents plan a nappy protest [Irish Times]
- Published: 30 April 2009
Source: Irish Times
AOIFE CARR
THE TAOISEACH Brian Cowen will be faced with a deluge of nappies on May 18th from a group of parents protesting against plans to means test or tax children's allowance from the beginning of next year.
The group, called Protest Against Child Unfriendly Budget (PACUB), consists of over 500 parents who feel families were disproportionately targeted by the recent Budget and who face a similarly disproportionate budget at the end of the year.
As well as sending nappies to the Taoiseach to highlight their concerns, the group is urging parents to sign an online petition on the social networking site Facebook and to download and send a protest letter from their web site www.childbenefit.info to the relevant Ministers and their local TDs.
The group is calling for Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan to reverse his decision to remove the early childcare supplement and plans to target children's allowance prior to the local and European elections on June 5th.
The scrapping of the early childcare supplement means that parents of children under five will lose an annual net amount of € 984 per child from January 1st next year.
Children's allowance is currently worth € 166 per child, per month or € 1,992 per annum for each child.
In order for an average middle-income family to compensate for the combined shortfall of losing the early childcare supplement and children's allowance being means-tested or taxed they will need to earn an additional income of € 5,000 per child, per annum, according to PACUB. They say this figure relates to the additional income needed, before taxes and levies are deducted from salaries.
For many parents, the group says, these additional cutbacks as well as the increased taxes and levies combined with the rising cost of childcare make returning to work impossible.
More information on the campaign is available at www.childbenefit.info
€450,000 prefab abandoned to vandals [independent.ie]
- Published: 30 April 2009
Source: independent.ie
By Katherine Donnelly
Thursday April 30 2009
THE Department of Education has wasted €450,000 on a school prefab bought six years ago -- but which was then abandoned to vandals.
The state of the art six-classroom unit, purchased in 2003, has been reduced to rack and ruin and written off by the department after less than three years' use .
The department has blamed a dispute with a developer and the cost of security or storage for the neglect of the pre-fab in Swords, Co Dublin.
The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) criticised it as "a waste of taxpayers' money".
The prefabricated building has been rendered completely unusable, most recently suffering fire damage, and has become a haunt for drinking parties.
Destroyed
As a result, the Department of Education last year forked out another €230,000 each to two primary schools -- one the original tenant in the destroyed pre-fab -- to allow them buy more temporary accommodation at their new temporary home just a couple hundred yards away on the same stretch of land.
The prefab was one of two six-classroom units with ancillary rooms, costing €450,000 each, which were bought to accommodate Swords Educate Together and Gaelscoil Brian Boroimhe at a joint site at Applewood, Swords, in 2003.
The rapidly expanding primary schools were awaiting permanent accommodation to be built on the same site, which was owned by the property development company Gannon Homes.
Both schools vacated their prefab when, according to the Department of Education, "in order to progress the developer's plans for that site, the developer offered a temporary adjacent site including temporary accommodation to accommodate the two schools from Sept 2006".
Needs
One of the six-classroom units was relocated to Donabate/Portrane Educate Together school for September 2007 to meet its increasing needs.
The other was due to be moved to the schools' new temporary site just a few hundred yards away in order to meet future needs of both Swords schools.
However, it wasn't moved and by early 2008 had become the target of vandals.
The department added: "Given the exposed nature of the site, it proved very difficult to secure the unit. Providing a security service or storing the units elsewhere were not considered to be cost-effective options."
INTO general secretary John Carr said: "This money was spent on the prefabricated building which was in use for less than three years.
"Instead of this accommodation being re-used when the school using it was moved, it was left to go to rack and ruin until it was completely vandalised.
"This contrasts sharply with the cutbacks being imposed on primary schools for essential funding and staffing."
